WITH the Riddell District Football League season preparing to kick off this weekend, Star’s Stuart Teather caught up with the coaches of the local clubs.

KILMORE pulled off one of the recruiting coups of the off-season with gun ruckman Robbie Wittmer signing on with the Blues.

Whittlesea duo Wade Mason and Nick Attard have come across from the Northern Football League, and former Assumption boy Jackson Charles will also don the Blues’ jumper this year.

Perhaps, the biggest recruit of all is the new playing coach, Guy Booker, who was also at Whittlesea last year.

A tough midfielder, Booker will bring significant depth to what he said is a very young Kilmore side in 2009.

“There’s no doubt we’re a young side, but that’s no excuse for not winning games; we’re still looking forward to being a competitive side this year,” he said.

“It’s more about the kids coming through, that’s who we’re trying to develop and that’s where the improvement will come from.”

BROADFORD is the new kid on the block in the RDFL after coming across from the Heathcote District Football League in the off-season.

The club made the move back to the RDFL after more than two decades in the Heathcote League, and is fired up for its first hit out, according to coach Chris Nolan.

Nolan said the great unknown heading into the season would be exactly where Broadford would fit in, and how competitive it would be.

“It’s hard to say, I think we’ve improved a touch on the Heathcote League standard from last year, but how we measure up in this Riddell League, I have absolutely no idea,” he said.

Broadford will once again field a team consisting almost entirely of locals — a trademark of the club, Nolan said.

“We’re pretty self-sufficient, we do retain a lot of our juniors; we look after our kids.”

Nolan said back-to-back club best and fairest Greg Wearne, a 190cm “mobile midfielder”, and back-to-back leading goalkicker John Taylor would be the players to look out for this year.

Wallan, heading into its second season in the RDFL, is looking to go one better than the elimination final against Sunbury in 2008. The club has picked up a number of players including Gohar Saad, Walid Rabah and local cricket star Scott Gilchrist, while coach Mark Pedersen returns for his second year at the helm.

Club president Neal Langbourne said the Magpies would be a tough side to face this year.

“We should improve from last year with what we’ve recruited,” he said. “Our expectations are a little bit higher than last year.

“Our goal last year was to make finals, this year we’re looking to take a few more steps.”

Wallan and Kilmore will fight it out in a local derby to kick off the season this Saturday at JJ Clancy Reserve, while Broadford hosts Romsey at Harley Hammond Reserve.