The Northern Inland Premier League will get into the swing of things this Saturday and Demon Knights are set for a tough test first up.
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The Armidale-based club will head to Tamworth to play reigning champions North Companions for the opening round of the year.
Evan Quaife is at the helm of DK again this year and said all signs point to a promising season for the club.
“I think we should have a reasonably good year,” he said.
“Like all clubs we have a few players who have retired and moved but we have a strong squad there of ressies [reserve] and first grade.
“We have been getting 30-odd at training so that is always an encouraging sign.
“We had a good pre-season and I would like to think we will have a good season.”
Quaife is confident he has the cavalry to give the competition a shake but said if they don’t get the basics right, it could all fall apart.
“Individually they are highly-skilled players, if they all play to the system and style we want to, we will be hard to beat,” he said.
“If we start ill-disciplined and taking wrong options and fundamental mistakes, those things will bring you undone.”
DK head into the encounter with momentum in their favour, coming off a 5-4 victory against Oxley Vale Attunga in their most recent FFA Cup clash.
Quaife said DK’s games against North Companions in recent years have always been close and he expects no different for the round one match.
“They were premiers last year, they rolled OVA and we knocked them [OVA] out of the FFA Cup so we go in with a little bit of confidence,” he said.
“See how we go against them there, they didn't beat us last year at all but that is last year.
“I think the last few years whenever we have played each other there has only been a goal in each game.
“I think for five years now we have had close games against North Companions.”