Southport Sharks will look to snap their way back to finals after a horror 2023 season

The season guide to the Southport Sharks. The ins and outs, the focus as the club looks to return to finals in 2024.Check out all you need to know for the Sharks this VFL season.

Southport Sharks are back hunting again as they chase a return to the VFL finals in the 2024 season.

After a heavy injury toll 2023, the Sharks look ready to get back to where they belong according to head coach Steve Daniel.

The Sharks will welcome back in 2024 some key players from injury after a horrible 2023 for the club.

Daniel said the club recruited heavily during the off season across the whole board.

“For me personally what I am really excited about is those players we lost last year were really important to us, like Max Pescud, we didn’t have him for most of the year,” Daniel said.

Southport Sharks player Mackenzie Willis celebrates kicking a goal. Picture credit: KPM Sports Images.

“To have him back and see him playing and training the way he is, is pretty exciting.

“Mackenzie Willis did his ACL, he is in our leadership group and a very important player for us.

“Zac Foot is another, we lost him for pretty much all last year, very exciting, great forward.

“That really excites me and then you talk about the new blokes who have come to the club like Wylie Buzza, Hugh Dixon, Will Sexton, Benny Jepson.

“They are really good players and will certainly help our team.”

The Sharks will host Port Melbourne in round 1 this season on Saturday with the opening bounce at 12:05pm.

“Looking forward to it, and I think all the players are as well, it has been a while (since the last game we played),” Daniel said.

“We didn’t make finals last year, disappointing that it wasn’t the year we had planned.

“We have finished up a lot earlier than we have in previous years where we had made the grand final on a few occasions.

“So for this to come around and round one to try and make a redemption from last year, we are really looking forward to it and can’t wait.”

The Sharks took on VFL premiers Gold Coast in their first pre-season hit out before travelling to Sydney to take on the Swans and then GWS Giants.

Daniel said they will take away a lot of confidence from those three showings.

“We had a very strong Gold Coast Suns in the first one, that was a great hit out that could have gone either way,” Daniel said.

“We got a fair bit out of that particularly with a lot of the new boys who have come to the club and how they played and the way they went about it.

“Sydney in Sydney was good, what we got out of that was we travel a lot from up here.

“So it was good for a lot of the new boys to (get used to) jump on a plane, go down, and come back.

“They then kind of get used to the travelling aspect and then we did it again against GWS.”

Southport hosted Port Melbourne in the only match up between the two sides in 2023, with the Sharks running out winners by 24-points.