“It’s going to a unique year; we’ve been looking forward to being in the Black Diamond Cup once again, ever since we went down a few years ago,” Farrell said. 

“For the last couple of years we have tried to build the club, but when some players came to us then realised that we weren’t playing in the top division in the region, they moved elsewhere to play top-level footy.

“This meant that we weren’t always a real competitive club. The feeling amongst our committee was that we needed to up to the Black Diamond Cup, and that we should push everybody up there so that we were on an even playing field with all of the other clubs.”

Farrell said it was noticeable last year that a few players who started off with the Dockers were later playing well with other clubs in the Black Diamond Cup.

Whilst not understating the challange ahead, Farrell believes 2018 will be a great stepping stone for the fututre of the club.

“The promotion into the Black Diamond Cup has enabled us to hang onto our promising juniors this year, whilst in the past we would have lost them to other clubs," Farrell said.

Lake Macquarie’s Black Diamond Cup coach in 2018 will be Tom Croft, whom Farrell said had an excellent relationship with the players and had generated a very positive feeling at the Dockers.

Club stalwart John Janissen has taken on the role of women’s coach.

Farrell said the Dockers have recruited three or four very talented new men’s players.

“One of our new players is coming off a grand final down south last year and he has certainly lifted the levels at training and in getting the boys pumped up,” Farrell said.

Last year, the Dockers introduced several of their junior players into the Black Diamond Plate competition and those players were approaching the 2018 season full of enthusiasm, the president said.​

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