The opening-round clash will see last year’s wooden spooners United face off against a Tongala side that finished on top and went undefeated in 2021.
New Eagles coach Farran Priest will take charge of his first game as coach on Saturday in Tongala, with the former United premiership player set to make his coaching debut.
Priest said the clash against the Blues would be a tough way to start the season, but it was also a challenge he was looking forward to.
“It’s going to be a good test for us, I think,” Priest said.
“We understand Tonny are a really good side so it’s going to be a test for us, so we’re just excited to see where things are at and what we can bring and regardless of the score we’ll take as much out of it as we can to get better.
“Tonny are definitely a top-three or top-two side, but it’s probably a good thing to have them straight up just to see where things are at for us.
“They’ve built that team they have for a while now and they are starting to see some good signs and hopefully we can follow that path as well.
“If there’s a time to get them it’s probably get them early, but there is no doubt that they are going to be a top-two side.”
United will be hoping to improve after a rough season in 2021. The Eagles finished on the bottom of the ladder, winning just one game all year.
In 2022 success will be defined by more than just wins and losses, with development and growth key areas of focus.
“There are a number things that we’ve worked on that will try to be a theme for us this year throughout preseason,” Priest said.
“A lot of it is making sure that all of us are putting in and having a go. We base a lot of things on pressure, so if we can bring that that’s probably our primary focus.
“We’re probably not going to get it right straight away, but if we can show signs of the work that we’ve put in that’s probably the thing I’m watching for.”
With the preseason now in the books, Priest said he was excited for the new season to start.
“The whole preseason has been pretty quick. We started quite early back in November, it felt like we’ve blinked and now it is round one,” he said.
“I’m sure the boys didn’t think that with all the running that they do, but for me it felt pretty quick.
“I’m super excited for a number of reasons.
“We have a new group with some new players coming in and people probably understand where we’re coming from as a team.”
Last year saw United give a lot of playing time to young kids, a theme which is likely to continue again this season.
Priest said the Eagles could see some new players join the flock in round one, but added that selections were still not set in stone.
“We’ve got a bigger squad of 30 people that we are still trying to filter through. It’s probably going to be a last-minute call of who gets brought up.
“No doubt there is going to be a couple of boys making their debut and new players to the club will be making their debut for the club as well. There’s probably going to be four, five or six new faces to the team.”
United will travel to Tongala Recreation Reserve to take on the Blues in their round one clash, with the reserves kicking off at 12.20pm followed by the seniors at 2pm.
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