GNFL season 2022 preview: Reigning premiers Brigades face Railways in season opener

A grand final rematch between the Brigades and Railways is set to be the highlight of the opening weekend of the GNFL season. The Brigades defeated Railways 9.8 (62) to 5.13 (43) to claim their seventh flag last September and the reigning premiers will hope to get off to a winning start. League coach for the Brigades, Cory Foot, said he was confident his side could continue their form from last season. The core premiership squad is still intact, with a couple of new recruits added in the off season. “We didn’t change much for pre-season, we kept it pretty simple and introduced the balls early,” he said. “It was a good pre-season, numbers for training were up by around 10 people compared to last season.” While some players may lose motivation after winning the grand final, Foot said this wouldn’t be an issue for his side. “I’m just reminding them about that feeling (winning the grand final), that should be enough to motivate them,” he said. Foot is unsure how his side will match up in round one as pre-season matches against the other GNFL clubs were cancelled due to COVID. Despite this, he expects the club to maintain the consistency they showed last year across all of their football sides.