Hanwood has started their preparation for another charge at the Pascoe Cup with a friendly against Wagga City Wanderers.
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While the side fell to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Capital Premier League side, coach Jason Bertacco took plenty of positives out of the clash.
"For us, it was very early, and it probably put the boys under a bit of pressure in playing so early," he said.
"We are only really four sessions in, and a handful of the boys have only done one, so to stick them out there straight away, it was used as a fitness-based experiment for us.
"There were still plenty of positives to take out of it, the ball movement was really good, and a few young boys stepped in, and we were able to throw them into different positions to see how they would go in a game environment."
Jordan Bellato was the lone goal scorer for Hanwood and was one who caught Bertacco's eye.
" He'd just come off night shifts with vintage and rocked up and was straight out there, and he was one of the ones really impressed on the day with his commitment," he said.
The somewhat surprise of the afternoon came from the Hanwood reserves able to pick up a 2-0 win over the Wanderers under 23s side.
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"They were really impressive, and there were a lot of young boys that have stepped up from third grade, and a few of them are going to get a run in the first squad," he said.
While Bertacco said numbers were good at this stage they were still on the lookout for more players as the club looks to mount another charge across the five grades.
"Numbers have been steady obviously it is hard at this time of year with a lot of the boys doing vintage, so to get them there at the start is a bit hit and miss," he said.
"We'd like to get a few more so anyone who is interest to come down on either Tuesday or Thursday for a run at Hanwood Oval. Our aim is to again get the three men's teams and two women's, so we are still trying to line up a few players to make sure our squads are healthy."
The Hanwood side will continue their preparation for the 2022 season with a friendly at home against Melbourne State League side Fawkner Soccer Club.
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