Dubbo Demons men's coach Terry Lyons believes there is unfinished business for the side which was a big reason why he will return in 2022.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Lyons was named the Demons' coach for the 2022 season via Facebook on Monday afternoon and will be looking to continue on the success the side had during 2021 before COVID-19 ended the season only weeks out from the start of the finals series.
"There is unfinished business from last year," Lyons said.
"I think everybody in the league is going to have that.
"I'm pretty excited, it's a good group of guys. We've maintained the majority of the squad, so it looks good."
Last year also saw the return of a reserve grade side for the Demons as well as some classy new first grade recruits like Tom Byrnes who helped the Dubbo side finish third and win five consecutive games in a purple patch of form.
Lyons is confident 2021 was a success but now the club's focus shifts to the upcoming season which will begin in a few months.
READ ALSO:
"We hit a lot of the objectives we had from the start of the year," he said.
"To build the club back up so we had a strong reserve grade.
"To get players there to play a good brand of football and all that we sort of ticked off.
"By doing that, we've created a new set of goals for ourselves this year.
"That's to continue to be competitive and mix it with the best in the league."
Like Lyons, many of the Demons' players felt unsatisfied with the way last season ended and the returning mentor feels there is a lot of anticipation building ahead of round one.
"We trained for nearly two months before Christmas," he said.
"But it was mainly fitness.
"There wasn't a lot of ball-work but everyone was working together to get a bit fitter."
The new season will also be a significant one for the Demons who will celebrate their 40th year in the AFL Central West competition.
It will be even more special for Lyons who joined the club as an 11-year-old before going on to win reserve grade and first-grade premierships as a player and coach during the 2000s.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News