The Batemans Bay Tigers have jumped into preseason early as they push for a massive improvement for season 2022.
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New coach Brenden Fernly has the team doing weekly strength and conditioning sessions at OneLife Gym in Batemans Bay, and plans to start on-field work shortly after the New Year.
Fernly, who was involved with the club last year in a support position, said he wanted to work his team hard because he saw potential in the playing group.
"Last year we had a block of five weeks where we won three games and drew another one, and that gave me confidence that what we worked on last year was right," he said.
"We're coming into next season looking to be competitive, and I'd be very disappointed if we didn't play finals.
"It's all about working hard, that's why we're training already, and the boys are really buying into it at the moment - we just have to maintain that."
Fernly said he hoped to craft a fit and strong team for 2022.
"It's a pretty tough sport we play," he said. "Last year we had all those results on very little work, so I can see the potential that a bit of hard work can bring.
"I'm looking for really big gains out of these guys just out of that hard work - we competed against the best sides last year on very little effort, so bringing more effort will be a key focus.
"They've had it pretty simple here for a while, so I'm trying to take them to another level."
Long-time Tigers centre Tom Bollard, who is a member of the club's leadership group, said the players are enjoying their work with the new coach.
"Now that he's (Fernly) taken over the head role, his knowledge is coming out and everyone is benefiting from that," he said.
"Heaps of the young blokes in the club have taken to it, and they're really excited.
"All the boys who are turning up now are really committed to having a good season, which is a great sign."
Bollard said it was too early to put any expectations on the 2022 season, but said he was looking forward to building a new culture at the club.
"The way he (Fernly) prepares us for everything, even our training sessions, is top notch," he said.
"I reckon we'll have a better chance at winning the comp than the last few years.
"Hopefully Brenden can take us to a few premierships, but at the moment we just want to build as a group and have a better culture.
"We've had players coming in and out, players leaving half way through the season, and it's hard to build culture that way.
"We have a lot of young fellas coming up, and we just need to build them into a strong club."