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horsham saintsWeekly Times |VARIETY is the spice of life — or at least the preseason — for Horsham Saints coach Shayne Breuer.

The Saints have been ­working though their first full preseason with the 125-AFL gamer, who took on the role last February when coach Phil Butsch stepped down after he was diagnosed with a second bout of cancer.

Breuer, who famously ­kicked Port Adelaide’s first AFL goal in 1997, arranged a pre­season camp for the Wimmera Football League club with the Power earlier this year.

It included a tour of the ­Adelaide Oval and a training session with SANFL coach and four-time all-Australian, Garry Hocking.

Though the standard may not have been what Hocking was used to, Breuer said he was fantastic with the Saints’ group.

“It was a great experience and something you don’t get a chance to do too often so we were spoiled that they allowed us to come in and spend some time with them,” he said.

Breuer said he was thrown in the deep end last year due to the timing of his appointment and was focused on keeping training sessions enjoyable.

Last year’s Wimmera Football League season ended in familiar fashion — Horsham Demons won their 11th flag in 12 seasons — denying the Saints their first Wimmera flag.

There was only a kick in it at the final siren, with evergreen Gavin Kelm booting nine of the Saints’ 11 goals.

Horsham Saints’ unenviable record now stands at seven grand final appearances for zero premierships since joining the league in 1993.

“I’ve only been in one of them and it makes me hell of a lot more hungrier, so I’m ­assuming the others feel the same,” Breuer said.

“But for me success at a country level is having numbers on the track, people turning up socially, guys enjoying themselves, and people who keep coming back.

“Success might be cups in the cupboard, but for us I reckon country footy is different to that.”

In a boost for the team Butsch, who won the Wimmera league best-and-fairest medal in 2012, has been back on the track and is hoping to make a return to footy this year.

Breuer said it was inspirational to see him at training.

“Blokes love seeing him out on the track. Knowing what he’s been through makes you think, ‘I’ve got a bit of a niggly injury but it’s nothing compared to what he’s been through’.”

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