The Goulburn Swans Football Club is starting the 2018 season, this Saturday April 21, with a host of changes and new faces.
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It means that the club is not sure what to expect ahead of their first game.
The team will take to the field for the season opener at home on Goodhew Park, but club treasurer Adam Wilson is not sure what to expect when the match against ANU starts.
“I’m not really sure about players and stuff yet, we’ll probably find out at training,” Wilson said.
“We’ve lost a few players that have been around for a while, handy players.
“I don’t know how many of the new guys that we picked up are going to go.”
There were trial matches played earlier this month. However, many of the Goulburn players were unavailable so it did not give the coaching staff and committee much of an idea of what to expect.
Along with new players, the team will also welcome a new coach into the fold.
The club has also been awarded a grant from Goulburn MP Pru Goward for $20,000 to install irrigation, which Wilson says is desperately needed. “The ground’s horrible,” he said.
“It’s just a bit dusty and dry because it hasn’t rained here. So irrigation would be awesome to tidy up the ground.”
The grant from Ms Goward comes following extensive upgrades to the team’s clubhouse, which began last year and the final results of which Wilson is very excited to see.
“I am look forward to getting into the new changerooms,” Wilson said.
“If you can imagine 22 players and a couple of other guys … it was horrible.
“But now we’ve opened them right up, put a couple of showers and toilets in.
“It’s all getting finished this week, so we’ll have carpets and stuff.”
The upgrades have been finished just in time for the Swans’ first clash of the year, against ANU in Goulburn on Saturday.
The match starts on April 21, in an earlier time slot than long term supporters have come to expect too.
Game time is at noon, two hours and 15 minutes earlier than in past seasons.
Wilson is aware the Swans will have their hands full, saying that ANU are “usually a pretty good team”.