2022 NORTH FOOTSCRAY PREVIEW

North Footscray coach David Battistella hopes his team can pick up from where they left off in 2021, with the Devils looking to make an impact on the Division 2 competition, this season.

“We have been tracking really well, most would say the same thing, but we have had a good quantity of numbers and the quality has improved from last year and we are all looking forward to Round 1,” he said.

“We understand things can change very quickly, but everyone is in the same boat. Whatever comes, we feel like we have more depth than last year, so if we have injuries or unavailability’s, we think we are better prepared and better covered for it.”

The Devils won their past five games in Division 2 last season and looked to have really clicked into gear before the season was unfortunately cut short due to lockdown.

Battistella said his side had a good second half of the season and was hoping the senior group could replicate that sort of form in the early stages of the 2022 season.

He said his priority was his team and not what others across the league were working on, but believes this year’s Division 2 competition could be the most competitive of all Senior Men’s competitions.

“You can’t change the opposition, you can only deal with is in-front of us and that is what we have been doing,” Battistella said.

“You can look at the clearances and see that every side will improve.

“Division 2 will be the closest of all divisions, from top to bottom. We could have a group of clubs fighting for a finals spot and that is extremely exciting. Close games are going to be the norm and it could be one of those years that a four-point game is an eight-point game.

“There is not going to be too much of a disparity between each team and that is also makes you nervous because there won’t be any games. If you aren’t going well on any given day, you won’t win.”

North Footscray’s first game of the 2022 Division 2 season will be against Newport. A team they played in Round 2 last season and lost by 60-points.

“They beat us by 10 goals when we last played. We didn’t get to play them in the second -half of the year,” Battistella said.

“They are a very quick and skilful team, so hopefully we have done enough to be ready for Round 1.”

North Footscray will host Newport at Hansen Reserve on April 2.