Kalgoorlie coach Justin Tarasinski hopes a tougher pre-season and the injection of new midfield talent will bring major improvements from his squad this year in the Goldfields Football League.
The group last year emerged from their first season under Tarasinski in overall fourth spot with five wins.
Tarasinski spent the off-season lamenting the numerous games in 2023 that he believes were winnable after half-time but went begging as rival sides finished over the top of them.
His efforts to address it has included the acquisition of Bailey Norris from Peel and Bryce Fiorentino from the South West.
And in another boost ahead of the 2024 season, Tarasinski this week confirmed that 2023 Mitchell medallist Jordan Madden was staying with the Roos amid speculation that he could be on the move.
Madden was linked to Kambalda, who he originally played for before joining Kalgoorlie in 2022.
But Tarasinski said his trump card of Madden had two months of pre-season with the Roos under his belt, bolstered by extensive boxing training and an official bout.
“Last year’s finish was probably an accurate indication of where we were,” Tarasinski said.
“Boulder and Railways were clearly the best sides all season and I felt for most of the time that we were three or four really good players away from those sides and being able to really shake up those games.
“It was disappointing to drop so many games we were in, right up to half-time and three-quarter time, and the boys have certainly put in some hard yards during the pre-season.
“The pre-season has been harder this season and those who’ve put in the effort are certainly going to reap the benefits of that.
“But we needed to boost our midfield depth (because) we had too few players rotating through there last season.
“We’ve added midfielders to give us some depth and hopefully allow us to stay in games longer.
“But that’s been a challenge, as it has been for most clubs — in terms of trying to recruit players because there’s a lot of cash being thrown around out there at the moment, post-COVID, from leagues in Victoria, the South West and around Perth.
“It’s getting harder and harder to recruit and attract players, that’s for sure.”
The Roos’ lead-up to their April 6 season-opener against Railways includes a practice match later this month in Esperance against Ports.
“We won’t take a full league squad away because there are some guys with competing priorities,” Tarasinski said.
“But it will be a good opportunity to get away as a group, to have a good time but also to get a hit-out.”