The Brimbank Stallions are showing just how tough they are.
The state league 4 soccer club had an entire off season to think about missed opportunities after a horror end to its 2015 campaign.
Leading the league by three points going into the final round of last year, the Stallions suffered a shock home loss to the lowly ranked Truganina Hornets.
The 3-2 defeat was enough to hand Melbourne City the title and knock Brimbank to second on the table.
Stallions’ president Sam Raniolo said the playing group was desperate to make amends.
“We had a team meeting at the end of the year,” he said. “Some of the guys who were going to retire wanted to hang around because they were very disappointed.
“They know that there’s unfinished business out there. They have stayed back and they’re all determined that this year there will be no excuse.
“Our aim is promotion, and that’s it.”
Brimbank hasn’t missed a beat in its quest for redemption.
Having not lost a match after eight rounds, the Stallions are on top of the table.
At the heart of the club’s dominance has been its wall-like defence. During eight rounds, the Stallions have conceded just five goals, clearly the lowest in the division with no other side in single figures.
But it isn’t just at the defensive end that things are gelling.
“We’re really happy with our ability to score as well,” Raniolo said. “That’s probably one of our main strengths, that we aren’t just relying on strikers to score the goals.
“The midfielders are chipping in with goals as well; we’re really sharing it around.
“We’ve been finding it pretty tough the past few weeks with teams going totally defensive against us, but now our midfielders are coming through and helping.”
In what will be a huge match this week, Brimbank takes on third-placed Surf Coast.
Raniolo says his players are fully aware the Stallions are now the hunted side in the league.
“We seem to be the hunted, but the boys have gone to another level.
“Every week they continue to step up, which is great to see.”
