Your club-by-club guide of the 2023 WFNL season

Minyip Murtoa will be looking to make it three consecutive premierships, having won the flag in 2019 and 2022.

THE TALISMAN

Younger players such as Tyler Pidgeon and Oscar Gawith are among those players that Mackenzie sees will improve the overall squad. In terms of experienced players, Burras captain Jae McGrath impacted the scoreboard in 2022. He kicked 45 goals from his 16 games and featured in the best on six occasions.

THE RECRUITS

Jye Walter joined the club from Noradjuha Quantong in the HDFNL. Mitch Johns returned to the club after some time in the Ballarat Football Netball League.

THE COACH'S WORDS

"We probably started a bit slow, but we built throughout the year," Mackenzie said. "We just need to make sure we reset and keep the same mindset and try and perfect our game plan."

Ararat hope to go one better in the 2023 Wimmera Football Netball League Season. The Rats finished as minor premiers in 2022 but ultimately fell nine points short of Minyip Murtoa in the grand final.

THE TALISMAN

Three-time best and fairest Jack Ganley rejoins the club after he spent time with East Point Football Netball Club in the Ballarat Football Netball League.

THE BIG NAMES

Tom Williamson, pick 61 in the 2016 AFL national draft, came home, as did Callum and Dan Mendes.

THE COACH'S WORDS

"We're pretty buoyant about our prospects this year," Walder said earlier this year. "There's a steel within this group to say 'Let's pick up where we left off last year, take that extra step and go one step further'."

The Stawell Warriors made it to the preliminary final of the 2022 WFNL season, losing to Ararat 86-53.

THE TALISMAN

The Warriors employed a fitness coach to lay the platform for the upcoming season with a modified program focused on football-specific movements. The Warriors started their pre-season four weeks before Christmas and have focused on match simulation rather than the cone-to-cone drills in the New Year.

THE FAMILIAR NAMES

Jakob Salmi returns after a stint with the Stawell Swifts in the HDNFL. Aiden Graveson rejoins the club after he captured a premiership with the Ararat Eagles in the Mininera and District Football League in 2022.

THE COACH'S WORDS

"We have kept pretty fit; it is probably the fittest we have been over the past few years. Everyone is in pretty good stead heading into it," Eckel said. "It has been different but the boys have enjoyed it and the fitness side of things."

The Horsham Demons will field a younger side in the upcoming Wimmera Football Netball League season. The Demons finished the regular season in fourth before a semi final defeat to Stawell.

THE TALISMAN

Brady Pope has continued to impress coaches the pre season, while Ben Janetzki was another name to watch.

THE NEWBIES

The Demons is backing is youth in 2023 with no big recruits to highlight.

THE COACH'S WORDS

"We are looking at being pretty young but will hopefully use our youth and pace to put our best foot forward," Blake said. "We have a strong list from seniors to reserves, and there is going to be a healthy number of blokes to select in the senior side, basically, from the 17 to the 21-year-old mark."

The 2022 season was challenging for the Dimboola Roos, losing 12 premiership points for a salary cap infringement in the shortened 2021 season. The team would have finished third, but ultimately ended the season fifth, bowing out in the first week of finals.

THE TALISMAN

Landt was a co-coach with Justin Beugelaar to begin of 2022; after Beugelaar stood down after four rounds of the season, Landt was given the reigns.

THE NEWBIES

Sam Godden, who won the club's goalkicking in 2019, 2013 premiership player Ryan Bell and Ben Miller came home during the offseason. Northern Territory Football League 2022/23 Nicholls Medal Dylan Landt will play under his brother. SANFL representative Aisea Raikiwasa is a Roo for 2023.

THE COACH'S WORDS

"It is going to be a good mix of youth and experience," Landt said. "We get 15 to 20 guys regularly, which is really good. We have had a few guys come in off the street and a couple of guys returning."

Narrowly missed the finals in the 2022 on percentage, the Giants recruited heavily, attracting a new coach and senior players for 2023.

THE TALISMAN

The Giants lured 2022 Toohey Medalist Kieran Delahunty to the club after 17 years at Minyip Murtoa. He will coach the side after former school mates Rupert Sangster and assistant coach Sam Bromley-Lynch attended boarding school

THE NEWBIES

Brothers Heath and Oscar Smith have joined the Giants from Ouyen United in the Sunraysia Football and Netball League. Brothers Jackson and Toby Fisher joined too. Ex-Demon Billy Lloyd comes to the Ginast via Melton South Football Netball Club.

THE COACH'S WORDS

"It has been great. The support I have had up at Hopetoun and Beulah has been phenomenal," Delahunty said. "I think the disappointment of missing finals last year, the boys up there are certainly keen to make amends. That is shown by the numbers we have had on the track."

Young enthusiasm will drive the Saints, who will look to improve on a seventh-placed finish in 2022.

THE TALISMAN

Former premiership players Jacob O'Beirne and Sam Clyne are assistant coaches. "Jacob and Sam are the heart and soul of the club. A lot of your young players respond well to them," Knott said.

BIG NAME

The club's 2022 best and fairest winner Mitch Martin opted to return to the Saints for 2023. "He's a Saints boy, and he's played all of his juniors at Saints," Knott said. "We were really confident he was always going to come back to us once he decided to come home."

THE COACH'S WORDS

"I am really impressed with Jackson Davidson, Gage Wright and Codi Kenny," Knott said. "They are all in their early twenties, and they are all natural leaders in their own way,"

The Warrack Eagles hope to take some of its late-season momentum in the 2023 season; the Eagles won two of their last three games of the 2022 season.

THE TALISMAN

Ryan McKenzie was a standout for the Eagles in 2022 with 30 goals in 16 games, which included seven in the win over the Saints. McKenzie claimed the Brennan Medal.

THE NEWBIE

Midfielder/winger Nick Ingram also joins the Eagles from the Gumeracha Football Club in the Hills Football League in South Australia. Connor Inkster re-joins the club after a stint with Jeparit-Rainbow. Key forward Joe McKinnon and utility Tom James come from the Hampden Footy League.

In 2022, The Tigers finished in ninth position. Their solitary win came over the Southern Mallee Giants where ex-AFL premiership player Dale Thomas made an appearance.

THE TALISMAN

Xavier Bone, Wallace Weahton and Caleb Zanker were ear marked as younger players to watch in the upcoming season. Frazer Driscoll and Jake McQueen competed in the Northern Territory Football League grand final, and were named in the NTFL's team of the year.

THE COACH'S WORDS

"We have come out of it really quite good. We had a good core group of probably 17 or 18 that did a hard pre season so it has been quite promising, to be honest," Albrecht said." There is a lot of support in town because we are have bought locals back."