Albury was pipped by Yarrawonga in a four-point thriller in one of the great grand finals last year.
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The Tigers have picked up former AFL-listed player Mat Walker, who's an automatic replacement for Jacob Conlan, who's joined Port Melbourne.
It will be interesting to see where the football of another former AFL-listed player and Tigers' recruit in Lachie Tiziani is after a horror knee injury ended his AFL dreams.
The Tigers could well lose Conlan, his younger brother Lucas and best and fairest Riley Bice to the VFL and that would be an enormous hurdle for any club to climb.
ARRIVALS: Mat Walker (Williamstown), Fletcher Carroll (Central District), Jackson Kelly (Wagga Tigers), Lachie Tiziani (Inner West Magpies, AFL Sydney), Jono Male (Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes)
DEPARTURES: Jacob and Lucas Conlan (Port Melbourne), Riley Bice (Werribee), Connor O'Sullivan (Geelong AFL), Phoenix Gothard (GWS AFL), Spencer Jones (Murray Magpies), Zach Bye (Jindera), Jake Brunner (moved to Melbourne)
VFL-LISTED: Jacob and Lucas Conlan (Port Melbourne), Riley Bice (Werribee)
BEST AND FAIREST: Riley Bice (winner), Isaac Muller and Jake Gaynor (joint second)
OUR SAY:
ANDREW MOIR: This time last year we said Albury's hopes would rest on VFL club GWS. In 2023, Riley Bice and the Conlan brothers - Jacob and Lucas - were linked to the Giants, but Albury was the home club. The trio spent the bulk of the year with Albury and made a grand final. This year, it's deja vu. The three have moved to Melbourne (Bice with Werribee, Conlans with Port Melbourne). Most O and M watchers would suspect they'd be strong chances to play VFL level and therefore the Tigers won't see much of them. If that's the case Yarrawonga and Wangaratta are ahead of them. However, if at least two spend the majority of time at Albury, when added to recruits Mat Walker, Fletcher Carroll, Jackson Kelly and Lachie Tiziani, another grand final is the pass mark.
IF LUCAS CONLAN DOES PLAY MAINLY VFL, WHO'S THE SECOND KEY DEFENDER?
There's no obvious answer. Hamish Gilmore is still there and he would take one key forward. Jessy Wilson will miss the year with his knee, but he wasn't a key forward, more the Leigh Masters-type from Yarrawonga, who intercept marks and then sets his team on the attack. Ben Kelly would be an option, but he missed selection in the grand final team as a second ruck. Brydan Hodgson spent most of the season defence, so he's the likely option, while recruit Lachie Tiziani was drafted to GWS in 2016 as a forward, although he has the height (189cms) which might be needed down back.
IS BRYDAN HODGSON A DEFENDER OR MIDFIELDER?
Both. He had a terrific year and spent around 70 percent of his time in defence. However, when George Horlin-Smith suffered a broken nose and hairline fracture of the eye socket in the opening minutes against Wangaratta in the qualifying final, the Tigers needed another big-bodied midfielder and Hodgson excelled. In the grand final, he was the game's best player in the first half and looked capable of tearing the match away from the powerful Yarrawonga, finishing with a match-high three goals. The Tigers might need him down back, without Jessy Wilson and Lucas Conlan, but he's a wonderful on-baller as well.
ALBURY HAS HAD A STACK OF WONDERFUL PLAYERS SINCE ITS 2009 RESURGENCE, JOEL MACKIE, CHRIS HYDE, SHAUN DALY, ETC, BUT IS BRAYDEN O'HARA ONE OF THEIR BEST BIG-GAME PLAYERS IN THAT TIME?
Absolutely. O'Hara is a club best and fairest in a grand final-winning season and a four-time premiership player, so he's obviously not flying under the radar. But it's always been intriguing when some of his high-profile team-mates were tagged, the lethal left-footer was left alone. And particularly when he had had a top 10 finish in the SANFL's Magarey Medal when he arrived. O'Hara is now 36 and doesn't do all the 'normal' training at the Tigers, but you can't argue with his form in the big games. In the 2022 first semi against Wangaratta Rovers, he kicked two goals, had an equal team-high 29 touches and a match-high 10 inside 50s. In last year's grand final against Yarrawonga, he had a match-high 10 scoring involvements, two goals and 19 disposals. Yet in mid-2022, he was on the verge of retiring due to Achilles tendonitis. Some players just know how to lift and that's why they're so highly rated.
Q&A WITH MAX BYRNE
Q: You missed the start of last year with injury, what happened?
A: I did my AC joint in the pre-season, it was the second 'praccie' game and it was a six-week injury.
Q: You started that season as an unheralded player, but finished as one of the Tigers' best, what did you put the improvement down to?
A: It's been my dream to win a premiership with Albury since I was little. I've never won one through the juniors and that's all I'm chasing at the moment, so I've got to keep getting better.
Q: What do you love about Albury?
A: It's just the culture, they're so welcoming, I've never had a bad moment with any of them.
Q: What areas are you looking to improve?
A: My directional talk and defensive pressure, I'm trying to get that defensive pressure to the next level.
Q: What do you regard as your favourite position on the ground and what do co-coaches Shaun Daly and Anthony Miles want out of you?
A: Defensively lock down my opponent and not letting them get a touch and then when I've got the ball, make good choices.
Q: You've played on the league's best small forwards, who's the most difficult to combat?
A: Nick Fothergill (Yarrawonga) because you never know where he's going to go, he's a sneaky player who can get around you pretty quick and when he has a shot at goal, he rarely misses.
PREDICTION: Third
