Though the results might not have gone their way on paper on the weekend, the Mittagong Lions are upbeat about their prospects this season.
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Club president, Matt Aiken, said "lots of good" came for the Lions after last weekend, despite recording one win and four losses.
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"Our Ladies' Tag side just kicked off from where they left off last year, they were brilliant," Aiken said.
"Appin at Appin on a Saturday night is always tough, and last Saturday night was no different for three of our teams who played there."
The Lions' League Tag team recorded a 24-6 win over Narellan, while its Under 18s, Third Grade, and Reserve Grade side all lost to Appin, and the women's rugby league side went down to Campbelltown City.
However, it was Third Grade's first outing, and the way they went about their football earned the side a host of fans.
"Our inaugural Third Grade side kicked off their season and were incredibly gutsy. They might not have won on the field, but they've won the whole club over," Aiken said.
"They're a cool bunch of blokes who've bought in to the club culture in a heartbeat. Keep an eye on thirds because they'll win more than they lose."
After a bye in round one, Mittagong's First Grade team will get its campaign underway this weekend against City Kangaroos.
With a revamped roster, the Lions have an "expectation of success" in 2021, Aiken said.
"I would be lying if I didn't say the First Grade side was looking good," he said.
"There is an air of excitement over at the Lions, it's no secret we brought in a talented roster based on the premise of an expectation of success. We will execute at a higher level, these boys will challenge our players beyond their own expectations."
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However, Aiken remained realistic and said the team still has "a tonne of work to do yet before we even think about playing football in September."
The First Grade game will take place at 2.30pm on Sunday, to cap off a huge weekend of football in Mittagong.
The weekend will get underway on Saturday morning with the juniors. 21 teams will take to the field, including three girls' League Tag teams.
The first game will get underway at 8.30am with the Under Sixes, and will run through to 6pm with the Under 16s League Tag.
After the juniors wrap up, the Lions' Third Grade side will make its home debut at 7.30pm.
On Sunday, the rest of the senior sides will take to the field in a series of five matches, beginning with Ladies League Tag at 8.45am and ending with the First Graders at 2.30pm. All senior matches will be played at the Mittagong Sports Ground.
"If you've made plans this weekend, change them if you're after some local footy," Aiken said.
"It's a massive weekend for the 'Green and Gold', local rugby league at its best."
The huge amount of football on display this weekend comes as a relief to the Lions, who struggled in the aftermath of the COVID-19 lockdowns.
"We had to endure the toughest period in our 100-plus year existence thanks to COVID-19," Aiken said.
"We had to ask ourselves the toughest question of all: How long could we survive in Group Six without serious change?
"It was obvious we had to revitalise the club. We will look back on 2020 as a difficult time, but also as a watershed moment. Our main focus will not be purely on winning, but setting small, realistic goals and build from there.
"Off the field is just as important to us; we have two welfare officers and we will continually nurture our players. We want them to learn to self-regulate, be full of gratitude, get an appreciation of the rules, and buy into our culture."
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