Sturt ready to respond in 2019 with fit players, new coach and upgraded facilities

Sturt had a disappointing finish to this season after being hit hard by injuries to key players, but there are plenty of reasons the Double Blues’ fans should be excited about next year.

Five reasons to be excited about the Double Blues in 2019:

1 HOW beat up were the key components of the Double Blues line-up late this season? Aidan Riley will never be 100 per cent because of his courage and body-on-the-line approach to the contest, but even he struggled to get on the park. Then there was the absence of gun defender Fraser Evans, plus problems for James Battersby. It just seemed the Double Blues were never far from an injury and they were hurting big time come the finals, that was obvious. This summer will no doubt have been welcomed by the players and the chance to rest the beaten up bodies.

Danyle Pearce returns to the Double Blues after a long AFL career with Port Adelaide and Fremantle. Picture: Stephen Laffer

2 RECRUITING has been limited, but there is one special inclusion which should have the Double Blues faithful excited. Danyle Pearce is back at Unley Oval, 14 years after he was drafted by Port Adelaide. There has been 258 games with the Power and Fremantle and at 32 he still has the passion for the game, and the talent to perform at a high level in the state league. Pearce was linked to a few SANFL clubs, but he chose to return to the Double Blues and he will feed off the likes of Riley and captain Zane Kirkwood.

3 MARTY Mattner will long be remembered as the coach who took the Double Blues back to the glory days of the club with premierships in his first two seasons. Injuries to key personnel robbed him of the chance of a hat-trick. However, Mattner is now with Adelaide and Nathan Grima has stepped into his big shoes. If he can get the team humming, the fans will love him. He had just one season as a player with Central District, claimed a flag and proved among the popular recruits at the Elizabeth club. So what will the change in message for the players bring?

4 THE SANFL has been kind to the Double Blues with the start and finish of the minor round. The Double Blues get a chance to settle into a rhythm at home, opening the season against Adelaide on March 30 followed by the contest against Woodville-West Torrens. And their final three games are also at Unley Oval. They finish the minor round with games against Norwood, Port Adelaide and Glenelg. They also get to celebrate family round at home against West Adelaide on July 21.

5 HOW times have changed at the Unley Oval club? It’s just six years since the club was convinced it would have to shut the doors for good, wooden spooners for the second successive year and broke, unable to pay the bills. It took a couple of benefactors to save the club at the eleventh hour. Since then the club has won two premierships and this season the players and fans will have the comfort of terrific new facilities. Fans have been feeling pretty good about themselves in recent times, but surely there has to be an even better buzz around the venue. On field and off field the club seems to be doing everything right.