After a six-point loss to Laurimar in last season’s Northern Football Netball League, NFNL, division three grand final, the Mernda senior men have their sights on the flag this season.
Finishing top of the ladder last season, the Demons won their decider to make the first grand final appearance for the club in 11 years.
One of three teams unbeaten at home at the end of the regular season last year, the Demons enter the 2024 competition with a target on their back as Laurimar move up to division two.
Robert Fletcher retains his position as head coach supported by assistant coach Jarrod King.
Mernda also retained its entire grand final side including players like Dayne Kellett and Kai Turner who were both selected in the 2023 Team of the Year.
“Everyone that played in our grand final side last year has re-signed and are playing with the club while we’ve added six to our list. We’ve got some good recruits,” Fletcher said.
“One of them being our captain Gus Mills who did his knee in round three last season. He’ll be back around round five or six this year.”
New additions to Mernda include Brent Marshall and Jake Bennett from Bundoora, Aydin Kesici from Tatura, Jordon Kelly from Park Orchards, and Josh Mazzarella has returned after a season at Thomastown.
Fletcher said Mernda’s preseason had been going well with the side playing three practice matches prior to round one kicking off.
“Numbers have been great. We’ve had huge numbers at the club,” he said.
“Things are looking like they’re going really good.”
Looking ahead to the season, Fletcher said it was going to be the ‘same old story, week by week’.
“Our first aim is to qualify for finals and play finals. That’s what we want,” he said.
“It still hurts a bit after last year’s grand final loss so we’d like to redeem ourselves there. That’s our main objective.
“I can’t wait for the season to start. Two years ago, we finished third last, last year we played off in a granny so we just want to see how we’re going this year and hopefully we get to play in the granny again.”
While every game played is special, the round six Kinglake match is expected to be especially significant for the side.
“We lost one of our young players over the break in a car accident – a 19-year-old named Seth Jackson,” he said.
“He played footy for us and also Kinglake so that game might be a bit special to us just remembering him.”
The Demons kick off the season with a preliminary final replay against Old Eltham Collegians on April 6.
