Darren Ogier’s squad ran out 107-point winners at Benalla on Saturday in perfect conditions, with imposing full-forward Joshua Schache booting seven goals.

With 11 goalkickers in their first game for the season, Ogier was pleased with the effort not only from his forwards, but from some key players across half-back.

“It was pretty outstanding start to the season,” he said.

“It’s a cliche, but we had 24 contributors on Saturday, the result we had was a real team effort.

“If you can’t get up on the first game of the season under perfect conditions then you’ve got a problem.”

Max Canfield kicked four to go with Schache’s seven, with Jy Simpkin, Clayton Oliver and Jake Marshall all multiple goal-scorers.

Trent McMullan was prolific, setting up a number of scores despite missing a few of his own, while the half-back trio of Harrison Tanner, Nick Coughlan and Lachlan Tiziani also impressed.

“We’ll get a clearer indication of where we stand as the season progresses, but what we saw on the weekend I’d expect to see every week,” Ogier said.

“Harrison’s (Tanner) ball use through the backline was terrific, and across the ground the work rate from pre-season was evident in the way we were running.”

The Bushies will be tested next week away against the Gippsland Power, who Ogier holds in high regard.

“Gippsland had a pretty impressive win against Dandenong, who I think are an excellent side after playing them in a practice match,” he said.

“They’ll also have a handy home ground advantage in Morwell.

“We’ll have to cover the loss of a couple of players, Schache and Dylan McDonald will miss the game through other commitments, but we’ll have Kyle Galloway to fill in.

“It’s always helpful when you can replace one tall player with a 206-centimetre ruck-forward.

“We showed that we have other avenues to goal as well, so hopefully we can turn in a similar performance and see how we stack up in the competition.”

It’s a cliche, but we had 24 contributors on Saturday, the result we had was a real team effort. If you can’t get up on the first game of the season under perfect conditions then you’ve got a problem.

DARREN OGIER