"If I hear the music, I'm gonna dance."
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If you're familiar with arguably the greatest show of all time, The Wire, you're probably aware of that quote.
It can also relate to a handful of Peter McDonald Premiership clubs. The drums are beating and they've got up to move.
But, just two months into the off-season, is it best to be up and dancing first?
The Macquarie Raiders, Forbes Magpies, Lithgow Workies Wolves and Orange CYMS all missed finals last season and they've all been among the most active this off-season.
There have been changes in leadership at each of the four while, interestingly, that's largely not the case for the side which played finals this year.
The recent confirmation Clay Priest would lead Mudgee again - a huge boost for the club given there was plenty of interest in the former NRL player - means Bathurst St Pat's is the only one of the eight 2023 finalists to make a change at the top.
It's easy to say those who had disappointing 2023 seasons needed to change something in order to improve, but switching coaches doesn't automatically mean success.
Macquarie in Group 11 is all too aware of that. Since winning the Group 11 premiership in 2012 only Alex Ronayne has stayed in a coaching role for more than a season-and-a-half.
In the eighth change the club made in as many years, Ronayne shared the captain-coach role with Jack Kavanagh this year. The latter will now take it on alone in 2024.
The Raiders have also been quick to announce the signings of Jason Boney, who they hope can solve their halves dilemmas, and versatile Dubbo CYMS player Kyjuan Crawford.
At Orange CYMS, the signing of Parkes' Group 11 player of the year Jack Buchanan as captain-coach was the worst kept secret in the west but that doesn't take away from the magnitude of the deal.
The Orange club was a shadow of itself this year and finished last in first grade while its reserve grade team didn't even finish the season.
There haven't been as many signings announced as we may have expected so far but in Buchanan they have a professional presence leading the club while on the field he's an 80-minute front-rower who will lead from the front.
Lithgow have locked in Peter Morris as coach and after guiding the Wolves' under 18s to the grand final this year the club great seems the perfect person to help the young core take the leap in 2024.
And at Forbes, the mastermind that is premiership-winning coach Cameron Greenhalgh is back on deck.
There are positives for each of those four clubs, but it's clear more still needs to be done.
Buchanan simply needs more players at Orange CYMS given the lack of depth and quality in 2023, while some senior heads to really lead the way is what Lithgow craves.
Forbes has the unenviable task of replacing one of the very best players in the competition in Andrews while belief needs to be restored after such an underwhelming year.
At Macquarie, it's the same old story as the side needs to be able to find a way to get new players settled in and have the team produce consistent performances on the field each week.
As good as the off-season has been for these clubs, there's still a long way to go before they can reach the standards the likes of Dubbo CYMS and Mudgee set this season.
It's good to be up dancing, but one moonwalk doesn't make you Michael Jackson.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
