Orana Spurs surprised many on their way to the top of the Western Premier League ladder last season but it didn't come as a huge shock to coach Ben Manson.
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He'd seen the unity and mateship within his squad and that strength remains ahead of the 2022 competition.
Spurs - who were top of the ladder heading into the final round when the 2021 season was cancelled due to the threat of COVID - start the new campaign on Saturday with a Dubbo derby clash against Macquarie United.
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There's been minimal changes to the Spurs side during the off-season and that familiarity will be one of the keys for Spurs as they set their sights on the competition summit again.
"What wins you the Western Premier League is culture and that's one thing I'm impressed with at Orana Spurs," Manson said.
"They're good mates in and outside of football. They look after each other and we're not cranky and we don't have a go at each other and that's a good thing to see.
"It's what will attract players and makes people comfortable coming here."
Spurs have added a handful of exciting players to their already impressive squad for this season.
The biggest addition is that of Bradley Boney-Chillie, a 16-year-old who has previously represented Australia in junior age groups.
While he won't be thrown straight into the deep end, Manson has been hugely impressed by his talent and maturity and Boney-Chillie is already being lined up to replace star playmaker Duncan Cahill when he leaves the club in July and makes the move to American college side Colorado-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions to chase his football dream.
"He carves up in training. He's the perfect fit to replace Duncan when he leaves and for someone so young, he plays like a senior," Manson said.
"He reads the game so well and I'm excited. I think he'll be one of the players to watch this year, for sure. He's got a lot of talent."
Justin Pickering is also a major signing. The right-back has joined from Macquarie United and was a key part of that club's WPL side, especially during the run to the 2020 grand final.
Jake Settree, Archie Kater and Luke McClure are also new faces brought in to compliment experienced players like captain Jared Corby, Joel Tongue, Connor McDonald and Dave Ferguson.
"It's a very similar team. We might be a little behind on fitness early on but ability-wise I think we're right up there. It's the same team with a few very strong additions," Manson said.
"Like last year, we just want to play finals football. Obviously you'd love to get first place but we were the underdogs last year and we have been for a number of years so we'll just do our thing.
"We know we'll have a target on our back and everyone will want to get one over us but the boys are strong-minded and I think they'll pull through and hopefully we can finish top four."
The league's decision not to crown a premier or minor premier or award any silverware last season was "devastating" at the time for Manson and Spurs.
The coach admitted he was concerned that blow might lead to players losing interest but he's adamant it's been the opposite, with motivation clear despite a somewhat stop-start pre-season campaign.
"They're fired up and hungry," Manson said of his players.
"I was worried after what happened last year obviously that it would make them not interested but they're fired up to play and we've picked up some good players so it's exciting."
Kick-off is 6pm at Hans Claven Oval on Saturday.
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