The biggest difference between 2021 and 2022 for Northern Bullants

First-year Northern Bullants coach Ben Hart says there’s been one big difference ahead of 2022 compared to 2021 and he hopes it will keep the VFL club surprising.

The Northern Bullants’ most precious commodity this VFL pre-season has been time.

Time to plan. Time to recruit. Time to bond. Time to analysis. Time to perfect.

It’s something the Ants didn’t have last year as they fought for survival and brought together a football club from basically scratch in a matter of months.

Now with 12 months under their belt and a full pre-season under new coach Ben Hart there’s a sense of optimism that the historic club can achieve something special in its 140th year.

Hart said it was the clear difference between 2021 and 2022. Time.

Northern Bullants captain Tom Wilson.

“To get back into the competition as a standalone last year was something pretty special but to be able to get together for a full pre-season has been brilliant,” he said.

“To build on what we were able to achieve last year is pretty exciting for us.

“It was reasonably rushed and we got together through the hard work of Josh Fraser, Steve Papal and the board.

“There was a fair bit happening and footy almost to a point got lost along the way until the season started.

“So it’s been calmer I guess, we’ve been able to have a full pre-season, get the guys training and understanding how we go about things and allowed the board to be even sharper than they were last year.”

The fact the Bullants were able to pick up three wins last season – against Carlton, Richmond and Coburg – surprised plenty.

The club expects to keep the surprises rolling in 2022 and have certainly impressed in pre-season wins over Frankston (16 points), Williamstown (11 points) and a two-point loss to Port Melbourne.

A Round 1 away trip to Gold Coast looms large on Saturday before another away game against Western Bulldogs and then a return to Preston City Oval in Round 3 against Collingwood.

Hart has been particularly pleased with the players’ buy-in to the “Ants way”.

“I mentioned to the playing group when we started it was never about win-loss for me,” the Australian Football Hall of Famer said.

“It’s always nicer to win, let’s be honest, but it was more about how we wanted to play the game and we’ve worked hard on our style of play and what works for our list.

“We’ve retained a lot of players that we know love the Preston way and been able to inject some fresh faces.

“It’s a different ball game when Round 1 starts but we’re certainly in a good place to press forward and keep improving.

“We’ve tried to add a little bit more speed to our group, so hopefully we’ll see a bit more speed with the footy, but we’ll remain strong inside – we love the contest – and that’s where it will start.

Those fresh faces include former Melbourne AFL midfield-defender Kyle Dunkley, 2021 draft contender Ben de Bolfo, VFL recruits Kobe Brown (Essendon), Matt Day (Essendon) and Andrew Courtney (Casey), and former Northern Blues defender Ethan Penrith.

Having unearthed the likes of Daniel Hughes, Mutaz El Nour and Jack Boyd last season, Hart expects more exciting talents to present themselves this season.

“Ben de Bolfo is straight out of the NAB system and looking pretty sharp and Jackson Barling has grown a lot over the pre-season,” Hart said.

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“Jaden Collins is a ruck/tall back who looks pretty strong, Andrew Courtney is a ruckman who we think is going to be really important for us.

“McKenzie Dorian has a big heart, plays on the edge and as a small forward can impact games and Ethan Penrith is another one who’s joined the club, a little bit older, who will add to our mix.

“Kyle (Dunkley) is still young but he’s got a few years in the AFL system, he’s a really clean footballer, he’s got good leadership ability and adds to our mix in the midfield.”

Having spent the pre-season training at Parade College in Bundoora, the Bullants are back at their spiritual home Preston City Oval this week.