Reservoir coach David Nelson pleased with off-season progress after winless NFL season

After going winless last year, Reservoir coach David Nelson couldn’t be happier with how his club is progressing with a host of youngsters impressing in pre-season training.

Lachlan Moir in action for Reservoir.

In full rebuild mode, Reservoir coach David Nelson couldn’t be happier with his club’s progress this pre-season.

The Mustangs were winless in Division 3 last year and are facing another tough season as the club invests in youth.

Nelson said there were no expectations for the year ahead but after a positive pre-season, he was confident the playing group “was just scratching the surface”.

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The first-year coach is looking forward to seeing where his players are at in their first scratch match on Sunday against Coburg’s SuperRules side.

“(The pre-season) is going really well, the players are starting back now, the club’s growing with the women’s side and it’s all looking up,” he said.

“There’s an opportunity for a lot of young players to step up this year and that’s been our selling point in recruiting.

Josh Alexander in action for Reservoir.

“We’re building the foundations of the club, building the culture.”

Nelson has been impressed with off-season arrival Mitch Hawkins from East Gippsland club Stratford, while Reservoir has also nabbed several players from Division 1 club West Preston Lakeside.

“A lot of boys have done most of the pre-season program and Mitch has been really impressive,” he said.

“Sam McDowell, our best-and-fairest from last year, has been a barometer for us on the track and all the boys are just trying to keep up with him.

“We’re just scratching the surface. We know where we’re at as a club and just want to see effort from the players. There’s no expectations.”

The Mustangs won the Division 3 premiership in 2015 but a player exodus forced the club to withdraw from Division 2 and go into recess before returning in 2017.

Despite the senior team’s struggles, Nelson guided the reserves to a preliminary final in 2018 and believes the youth movement will pay dividends for the club in the future.

After taking over the senior coaching reins from Aaron Collins, Nelson was confident the club was ready to improve.

“With the recruiting and re-signing of a lot of these guys, some of our guys have had offers from other clubs,” he said.

“We want to try and retain those. I’m sure we will be moving forward, there’s no doubt about that.”