Stawell's North Park was a hive of activity at the weekend as players, spectators and supporters watched their teams, some for the first time this season.
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Hundreds of people lined the ground and netball courts in a bid to catch a glimpse of new recruits and returning players.
The weather was perfect for watching sport but was on the warmer side for some players.
All three football games were a mix of players and reserves - each player getting some time on the field to blow out any cobwebs.
Great Western went up against Pimpinio on Friday night in a twilight match.
Warriors netball teams went up against Donald on Saturday - with each grade competing.
The Warriors football players battled it out in warm conditions, with Saturday hitting a top of 30 degrees in Stawell.
Coach Damian Joiner said it was a good chance to blow a few cobwebs out and also see some new faces running around.
"All in all I was pretty impressed with how the boys went about it, we have got to work on a few little things but don't need to tinker with too much," he said.
"Personally I loved playing in the heat but a few boys were a bit worn out afterwards. That was to be expected in the first game of the year."
Joiner said playing in front of a large crowd for a practice game has built more anticipation for the season ahead.
"It was good to see a few people down there to have a look - it makes the atmosphere a bit better," he said.
"We are really keen to get into the season now."
The Warriors will not play another practice game, playing just an intra-club contest before their round one game against Southern Mallee Giants on April 13.
Swifts went up against Navarre on Sunday with positive signs on show for the Baggies. Co-coach Scott Carey said he was pleased with how the day went.
"Things we have been implementing at training seem to have worked really well," he said.
"We were able to set up our zone really well. I thought our ground kicking was exactly what we were after."
Carey said he identified some areas which need tweaking before round one.
"At times I thought we over hand-passed," he said.
"We just need to move the ball forward. You can work on drills at training and do it well but when it comes to games and players under pressure and decision making comes into it.
"We'll focus on that over the next few weeks before the season begins and be ready to go in round one."
Sunday was the only practice match for the Swifts before taking on Natimuk in round one at North Park on April 6.
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