South Morang takes targeted approach to recruiting in effort to boost premiership bid

The Lions have been around the mark in recent years without claiming the ultimate prize, their last flag coming back in 2011.

Coach Dean Grainger hopes to change that in his second season at the helm after South Morang bowed out to eventual premier Watsonia in this year’s preliminary final.

“We are not going out to buy players, if that’s the right word to use,” Grainger said.

“We are going after what we feel we specifically (need), probably experience and guys that can play different positions on the ground, not just the one position.

“And good quality people as well, that’s what we’re after.”

South Morang has been a major player in the recruiting market over the past few years, but Grainger said the club only needed another “three or four” players to break its drought.

“We have spoken to a few players,” he said.

“We believe we need three or four maybe. We are happy with the base we had this year, especially the young kids coming through.

“Those guys are only going to improve on the year they had this year after a senior year under their belt.

“We’re looking at those guys to step up and improve where we were last (season).”

Grainger said experience was the key attribute the Lions were after.

“There was depth there with the reserves and under-19s,” he said.

“Probably experience, I guess you could say. We are looking for some experienced guys to come into the side and that have played a decent level of footy as well.”

He said some players would inevitably move on, but a core group of senior regulars had already re-signed.

The Lions expect to unveil their recruits in coming weeks ahead of the start of their pre-season in December.