THERE is genuine optimism that the Blues can improve this year after a strong pre-season.
Inglewood, after breaking a 20-year finals drought in 2023, missed the end-of-season action last year in  Fergus Payne’s first season as playing coach.
Plenty of numbers at training, natural improvement from some of the younger players, and a decent recruiting effort have Woodies fans up and about.
A former club best and fairest winner Bregon Cotchett has returned to Inglewood after a season at West Preston-Lakeside, boosting the midfield stocks.
Kai Cavalaro has joined from Heathcote, and offers versatility as a key position or general forward.
Mid-forward Tom Guerra from Leitchfield-Gunbower played in the Heathcote league grand final last season, having appeared for Calivil in 2019.
Powerful midfielder Harry Veitch comes from the strong VAFA competition where he played with Old Camberwell, having also played in the Eastern Football Netball League with Mitcham and Balwyn.
Another recruit is key forward Ben Napier, who hails originally from Kyabram. 
He has missed a few seasons with a serious knee injury, but Inglewood is hopeful he can recapture the talent he showed as a junior.
But most of all, Inglewood has arguably the best young footballer in the league ready to start to dominate.
Gabe Nevins is a two-time winner of the under-18 league best-and-fairest award, and took out the Rising Star award last season despite playing only seven games.
Having bulked up considerably over summer, and ripping it up at training, he looks primed to emerge as a star of the competition.
Payne is bullish about promising midfielder-forward Liam Marciano, who played 10 games with the Woodies last season and was named in the best players on eight occasions.
Payne said Marciano had not missed a training session over the summer after an injury-plagued 2024.
It may be unfair to place so much expectation on a player just out of junior ranks, but Gabe Nevins is a gun.
His record speaks for itself, winning the Loddon Valley’s rising star nod in 2024 after a season in which he was hit with injury and also bore the brunt of some tough opposition treatment.
Nevins missed 10 matches after suffering a serious leg injury in round three, and three matches after his return he was concussed and missed another two rounds in a clash that saw Newbridge coach Sam Gale suspended for two weeks.
Speedy, and blessed with great skill, Nevins is a threat off the wing, in the midfield, on the forward line, and even as a running half-back.
There is no question over his fitness and resilience.
In 2023 he played 14 matches in the under-18 competition and backed that up with 15 games in the seniors. Nevins made his senior debut the previous year, playing 12 games with the big boys on top of his 15 junior matches.
Nevins seems destined for bigger things, but for the moment Loddon Valley fans can enjoy a young talent on the rise.
Bregon Cotchett’s second coming at Inglewood is a major boost for the club, on and off the field.
He won the 2023 best-and-fairest award before departing to play with his brother, who was retiring at the end of 2024, in Melbourne’s highly competitive Northern league.
Cotchett’s form in 2023 helped the Woodies to fourth place on the ladder, and his absence was felt strongly last season.  hard-at-it and powerful midfielder, he also has a keen eye for the goals, kicking 33 goals in 31 matches for Inglewood in 2022-23.
Cotchett is regarded highly off the field as well, with Payne saying he had been loved at the club in his previous stint with Inglewood.
Having played with Payne in 2023 only makes Cotchett’s transition an easier one.
“Inglewood Cricket and Football Club” gets its first mention in the archives in 1873, when it was recorded as playing social matches.
Inglewood, wearing blue and red, was a foundation member of the Victorian Football Association in 1877, along with Carlton, Geelong, Melbourne and St Kilda, plus other country teams including Ballarat, Castlemaine and Rochester. 
The club played league hopscotch in succeeding decades – Loddon Valley, Korong District, Inglewood Football Association, Korong Central and back to the Loddon Valley again.
From 1951-58 Inglewood played off in seven grand finals, winning five. 
The club also won the first two seasons of the Loddon Valley Netball league in 1951-52. Football flags followed in 1971 and 1986, while netballers had success in 1977, 1981 and 1994. 
The most notable sportsman associated with the Blues was the first Brownlow medalist, ‘Carji’ Greeves, who was named as coach in 1935.