Jindera didn't even have enough players for an under-17 team at the start of the year and some of their new recruits barely knew one end of a football from the other.

But fast forward a few months and the Bulldogs are flying.

They're top of the Hume league, have won all 12 of their games and confidence levels are through the roof.

"I'm not kidding when I say half the team couldn't kick a football properly at the start of the year," coach Damien Porta said.

"My mentality was to keep it pretty straightforward, just kick and mark.

"We only had eight at pre-season training.

"My son, Brodie, is playing this year and he brought a couple of his mates.

"I've got three players that have never played football before.

"Jordyn Carter was a soccer player and he is now one of our best every week.

"There's not a lot of champions in the team but they just have so much drive when they get on the ground."

When the Bulldogs kicked five goals in the first quarter of their round one clash with Culcairn, Porta realised something special might be happening.

The team has gone from strength to strength since then, with senior Jindera players coming down to help them at training.

Porta is assisted by son Kyle and Danny Middleton, while senior coach Andrew Wilson has given his time to the burgeoning youngsters too.

"They're just playing beyond themselves," Porta said.

"Even though I know how good they are, I still get nervous before every game.

"But the more I get into it, the more excited I'm getting by the list we've got.

"I've already had two under-14s come up, Bodhi Kerr and Dom Wayenberg, and Bodhi is going to be a senior player.

"He's ready.

"He comes in and he fits into our team straight away.

"He's not the biggest kid but he just has so much talent.

"You need to bring those boys forward and that's where your future senior list comes from.

"Keeping these kids involved in football is the biggest challenge moving forward."

ALSO IN SPORT:

Jindera's seniors and reserves may have struggled at times this season but the future looks bright for the club, with the under-14s third on the ladder with a 9-2 record.

"I'm trying not to let them get ahead of themselves," Porta said.

"They're winning fairly comfortably a lot of the time but there's a couple of teams, Osborne and Holbrook, that are a real chance this year too.

"But this is huge for them after missing out on 2020.

"My boys, even the ones that haven't got a lot of skill, their effort and intensity is just unstoppable."

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: