SWFL 2023: Collie Eagles ready to measure growth against tough South Bunbury challenge

After a less-than-ideal campaign in 2022, the Collie Eagles will be looking to come into the new season ready to rise to whatever challenges are thrown at them.

Collie Eagles will be going into the new season with a lot to prove when they host 2022 league grand finalists South Bunbury at Collie Recreation Ground on Saturday.

Head coach Kade East said the club has been “super busy” throughout the off-season, but are excited to get stuck into the new season.

“We’ve spent countless hours on and off the field doing our best to set ourselves up for a successful year as a whole club,” he said.

“But we’re super excited to get stuck into the season and see a lot of hard work pay off.”

While East conceded starting the season against a side like South Bunbury is a tough draw, he feels it will be a good measure for the players.

“The core group has had a really strong preseason with a few boys having stand-out campaigns, so I’m really excited to see them finally be rewarded,” he said.

Saturday’s match-up will also see the newly upgraded light towers at Collie Recreation Ground be put to good use, which East hopes will be a draw card for Collie locals.

“We haven’t hosted night games for nearly 10 years, so hopefully it brings a certain energy from the crowd that our boys can feed off of and use to our advantage,” he said.

For the Tigers, Saturday will mark the start of a campaign to work their way back to the top of the mountain, ultimately aiming to stand tall at the summit after falling short to premiers Augusta-Margaret River by just four points.

While several prominent faces including ruckman Tim Sutherland, midfielder Hayden Krikke and key forward Jordan Strahan have departed the Tigers’ den, South Bunbury have wasted no time in recruiting new talent.

Former East Fremantle ruckman Jeremy Goddard has been welcomed to South Bunbury, alongside 2016 South Bunbury premiership hero Leigh Kohlmann, who transferred out of Perth Football League side University.

Young gun Kade Szyszka is expected to return to South Bunbury after transferring out of Swan Districts, while Jesse Crichton will spend another season in the red and white.

The last time that the Eagles and the Tigers met was during round 14 of the 2022 season, where South Bunbury dominated Collie 20.10 (130) to 6.3 (39).