Eight of nine clubs will run out onto football ovals around the region.

The Rats already faced local rivals Stawell on Good Friday to start its premiership defence.

Experienced players Tom Mills and Tom Williamson are leading the club in 2024.

"I feel all the boys are still really hungry, and we've been lucky to maintain most of our list. I'm hopeful we can put in the work and be up there again," Williamson said

The 2024 season is the inaugural season for the Southern Mallee Thunder, the merger of the Southern Mallee Giants and Jeparit Rainbow Storm.

Three-time Toohey Medallist Kieran Delahunty will lead the club into the new era.

"It's just about building those relationships, guys getting to know each other and how they play. I think the more time we can spend together, the better we'll be," Delahunty said.

Horsham Saints senior coach Ben Knott hopes his young squad builds on a promising 2023 season.

"Now we've built a foundation, and we believe we can just keep adding building blocks of that and hopefully keep this young group together for multiple years," Knott said.

The Saints have also recruited experience, with Corey Morgan and Nathan Koenig joining the club.

New Minyip Murtoa coach Gareth Hose has been impressed by his squad's buy-in as they look to make up for a disappointing finish to 2023.

The Burras will be buoyed by Ben and Tim McIntyre's return, while Kade Petering will also be back.

Dusty Cross, Nick Cushing, and Sam Griffiths have also joined the club, and several young players have stood out to Hose in the pre-season.

Dimboola has re-shaped its list under Jack Landt.

Andrew Moore, Jackson Calder and Jordan Waite are just a few new players that have joined the club.

There will also be a focus on junior talent in 2024.

"It looks really promising. We've got three or four guys who are between 16 and 18 that will probably play senior footy and they look the part to step up," Landt said.

Stawell made a statement in its season opener against Ararat, but for Warriors coach Tom Eckel, the result stemmed from a tough pre-season.

"A lot of guys maintained a bit of fitness, and I think we've gone to another level of fitness, which has been good," Eckel said.

Returning forward, Cody Driscoll stood out on Good Friday, while recruits Josh Fowkes, James Sullivan, and Mitchel Taylor debuted.

First-time senior coach Jake McQueen has embraced the challenge of the role as the season opener awaits.

Largely a young side, the Tigers welcomed Peter Politis and Dylan Ridding to the club, whilst Jake Harrap and Jordan Zeitz have returned to Davis Park.

"That will be good. A few wise heads on the ground, which will steady the ship a bit easier," McQueen said.

Horsham will sport a new look in 2024 under Jordyn Burke.

The Demons have recruited Ryan Kemp back to the club, whilst Hugo Papst, Corey Williams and Matt Long are just a few names to join a young core group.

"There's a lot of talent there, and that's exciting," Burke said.

Arguably, the biggest story of the off-season was Matt Walder's return to the Eagles after close two decades.

"The big challenge is to quickly develop this group, improve them and make a rise," Walder said.

A young squad in 2023, the Eagles welcomed Charlie Wilson back to the club, whilst Jai Kovatseff, Jayke Hellmanns, Tyson Hunt and John Martin have moved from South Australia.

Walder highlighted talented juniors Connor Inkster and Charlie Dean as players to watch.