Murphy said the club had played three consecutive grand finals in the last few seasons, but hadn’t captured the flag in any. 

“Ian did a good job last year, going as far as he could without winning the premiership, the boys were all on the same page and the camaraderie around the club was palpable,” Murphy says. 

“We’re not going to reinvent the wheel, there are just a few small things we’ll fine tune where we can improve.”

Murphy will have a wealth of support behind him for the 2017 season with Daniel Worden and Danny Adams named co-captains of the senior group, while Grant Regan will act as a coaching director. 

“Wordo is a Merimbula boy through and through,” Murphy said. “He’s played all his junior footy here and played some top level footy in Wollongong, his experience is invaluable to the club.”

Meanwhile, Adams has played two years with the Diggers and will look to expand his leadership capacity after already taking on a coaching role with the under 16s. 

Finally, Regan is a highly-regarded and seasoned SCAFL player with years of experience under his belt. 

“I will be able to bounce ideas of ‘Ronny’, I’ve got a good career of footy under my belt, but this is a guy whose played in the competition a long time and his guidance is helpful,” Murphy said. 

“Between the four of us we’re working hard on building the good family culture and helping the club go that extra step.”

Murphy said a key feature of the season was fitness: "We played right through last year of course, but the fitter you are the longer you’re staying in games and can keep the pressure up.”

With that in mind, the club has already begun fitness pre-season training Tuesdays and Thursdays at Ford Oval, Merimbula. 

“Everyone is always welcome to join in, we’re trying to build the culture around the club and the more people involved, the more fans at the field,” Murphy said. 

A majority of senior players are staying on board, but new players are welcome. 

“More people will be better for us and the league aswell.”