PLAYER CHANGES
INS: Mark Marriott (Cobden Bombers), Patrick Warner (Wangaratta Magpies)
OUTS: Brody Webster (Violet Town), Tom O’Brien (overseas), Joshua Marchbank (retired)
The 2023 is a season the Saints will want to forget in a hurry.
Benalla claimed the unwanted title of wooden spoon winner, tasting victory only three times during the season.
With co-coaches Will Martiniello and Mark McKenzie stepping away from their roles at the end of the 2023 season, ex-Carlton and North Melbourne forward Jarrad Waite has taken on the top job.
Having grown up in Benalla, Waite is hoping he can entice a number of local talents back to the club.
“The boys have really bought into the preseason,” Waite said.
“Chris Welsh, our captain, has been training really well and sets the standards for everyone.
“I think we’ve got a really good mixture of getting a couple of key players back to the club and then also a couple of young kids coming through that are hopefully going to play a lot for us this year.”
Bringing the experienced ruckman Mark Marriott and 2022 Ovens and Murray Premiership player Patrick Warner back into the Saints fold is a show of intent from Benalla.
The number of re-signings is also a testament to the current players’ belief in Waite.
“We want to play finals. We’re there, but we obviously understand we’re a young team,” Waite said
“I think we can really tweak a couple of areas that we probably let ourselves down in last year, and we’ve identified them.
“I’m working on that in regards to how we want to play. I think we can stop the opposition from scoring a little bit more.”
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