With the Tigers losing a handful of premiership players over the off-season, coach Mark Sarau said yesterday the door had been opened for the likes of Ryan Smith, Nick Gehrig, James Wells, Seamus Quinn, Rhyle Transom, Justin Cooksey, Sam Welsh, Brad Dalbosco and Josh Star.

Sarau said the club’s 2013 premiership team was built around local talent, with 19 of the 21 players coming through junior ranks, and he hoped the same formula would work again.

“They will be given every opportunity and I have a great deal of faith in them,” Sarau said.

“They are training as hard as the older guys like Jack Price and Paul Harrington.

“Normally the biggest hurdle to jump is the level of training they have to rise to, and these blokes are doing that very well.”

Ruckman Stephen Bradshaw has returned to Barnawartha after stints with Howlong and Dederang-Mount Beauty, while Blake Brendan has joined the club from Manly-Warringah.

Jason Coleman is also back at the club.

Matthew McNamara, Jarrod Williams and Matt Ladgrove (Corryong), Ryan Lempa (Cairns) and Lachie Barter (Darwin) are the major omissions from last season.

Barnawartha will play practice matches against Tarrawingee and Bright next month before taking on Chiltern in round 1 at Barnawartha on April 11.