AN INFLUX of players from the Dragons has Sandringham Zebras primed for an assault on the 2013 AFL season.
The Zebras were knocked out by Box Hill in an elimination final last year in a season of two halves - they won seven of their first nine matches but only three in the lead-up to finals.
Constant changes to the playing 22 because of changes at the St Kilda selection table meant consistency was hard to find.
But the vibe is positive down at Trevor Barker Beach Oval this year.
Apart from the departures of Jackson Coleman (Frankston) and Michael Sikora (Essendon VFL) the club has kept the bulk of its senior list together.
"We were able to hang onto most of our top-liners," operations manager Lucas Blatman said.
"We've recruited well from the Dragons and a fair few of our guys have come back in pretty good shape."
The Zebras have signed eight former Dragons who missed out in the AFL draft - Cameron Banfield, Zac Gibson, Mitch Howes, Joel McKee, Kenny Ong, Matt Taylor, Pat Tiernan and Yilber Zajai - with potentially more to come before the list is finalised in early March.
"It's a natural progression for them to come down here and because there are so many of them they fit in comfortably," Blatman said.
"They all look pretty good and I think Ong and Banfield look like they could challenge to play senior footy this season, either as the 23rd man or on their own merit."
The 23rd man rule allows TAC Cup players the chance to play three senior games throughout the season.
Last Modified on 31/01/2013 13:02