A NEW season awaits for the Leeton Greens who are hoping recent success at the Group 20 knockout will translate into consistent form in the 2021 opener.
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The Greens took out the recent Paul Kelly Knockout crown in Griffith, but attention has now been firmly fixed on the season proper.
Leeton will host the Griffith Black and Whites on Saturday evening in a twilight match to get their year started.
With most of the side missing out on playing last year when the Group 20 competition was called off, the team will be hoping to come out firing in round one.
Captain-coach Hayden Philp was one player who did get to have a run in 2020 when he played in the Group 9 competition, but he's keen to get back on Leeton's home turf this weekend.
"We've picked up a lot of locals coming back ... Shannon Bradbrook who has played with Yanco wanted to come across with us, so that's a very handy pick up," Philp said.
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"Cameron Breust from Wagga is also signed on with us, so we're looking pretty good.
"We had a pretty big pre-season. I don't think fitness is going to be a worry for us.
"What we want to be doing is completing our sets and maintaining possession. We don't want to be playing defensively all game."
This year is a big one for the Greens with the club set to belatedly mark its 100th anniversary after not being able to do so in 2020.
"There's a really good buzz around the club at the moment, everyone is ready to be back playing and just enjoying their football again," Philp said.
With round one now here, Philp said he tended not to think too much about the opposition heading in.
Rather he wants his side to focus on what they have been working on throughout the pre-season and implementing it come game day.
"We've worked really hard so hopefully we can get a win first off and go from there," Philp said.
The Greens selected their side for Saturday earlier in the week, with a final light training run set down for tonight.
Under 16s will kick off at 1.30pm, followed by league tag at 2.45pm, reserves at 3.50pm and first grade at 5.15pm.
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