THE Hamilton Kangaroos are edging closer to their season opener, with the club announcing its senior football leadership group for 2024, while some new faces have been on the track for the blue and white.

The group has been training since the start of November and new coach, Brad Thomas, along with others have been working hard to bring some new players into the club.

The seniors have been training three times a week and Thomas said he has noticed a big difference, even since the Christmas break.

“The guys who have been committed, there has been a big difference in fitness level,” he said.

“A lot of areas I feel like we are developing nicely.

“We have got our numbers up, we have recruited good families and our depth is growing.”

With a new coach at the helm, there will also be a new captain with Brady Hicks stepping down from the role, with a five-man leadership group named – Darcy Russell, Taine Morris, Hamish Cook, Rory Gill and Harry Turnham – with the latter coming across from Warrnambool and District Football League club, Panmure.

The club worked through a process to settle on those five names, which also cover each area of the ground.

“It is a lot of different areas, some of our junior players at Under-14 and Under-16, I got a vibe off them who they saw as leaders around the club, and even during an interview stage, just to see how they want to be viewed around the club and around the community,” Thomas said.

“I think Cam Pither was very unlucky to miss out, there are other guys as well, but just because they aren’t in the leadership group, doesn’t mean they don’t show leadership – there are so many different forms.”

The club is now working through a process to find a new captain, with the new leader set to be announced next month.

“Brady Hicks is going to step down as captain and he will interview with a couple of other independent people, so the captain doesn’t necessarily have to come from the leadership group,” Thomas said.

“Brady has done a great job and so he is handing the baton over and he knows what is required with the captaincy.

“We are going to present the captain on February 2, so we expect big things from them as well.”

Jack English and Xavier Stevens have returned to the club for the 2024 Hampden Football Netball League campaign, while some new faces are having an impact already in the blue and white.

“Toby Hawthorn is another one, what these guys have been able to bring, Jack Murray and Harry Turnham have brought strong standards to the club as well,” Thomas said.

“There is a lot to go through, we are only now starting to look at the players and where they might fit in, then we will develop a 30-man squad and go from there.

“We have a rough idea of where we want to play them, but there is some work to do still.”

The Roos will be without both Luke and Noah Uebergang after the two brothers have sustained ACL injuries, with 22-year-old Noah hanging the boots up after the most recent injury – his fourth ACL injury – with the announcement made to the group on Wednesday night.

Noah Herrmann also has a slight calf injury, but overall the health and fitness of the side is positive, ahead of practice matched in seven weeks.

“On March 16 we will play the Ararat Rats, then on March 23 we will head out to Cavendish to play Horsham Demons then Cavendish is going to play Glenthompson-Dunkeld on the same day,” Thomas said.

“We have put a lot of work into the contested ball and that kind of thing.

“I don’t think we have completely tapped into just how much talent is there yet, but we understand where we are at.

“The commitment level with the playing group, volunteers and spectators, the whole club feels there is change coming and it is not so much just round one, but the next couple of years as well.”

The netballers are also set to return to the court next week, with the first session after Christmas set for February 1.

The club has already announced its senior trials will be at Pedrina Park on February 22 and 29.