North Warrnambool Eagles coach Adam Dowie embraces 2021 underdog tag

A mass exodus in the off-season, driven by travel factors rather than discontent, has people asking: Will the 2019 grand finalist slide in 2021?

Dowie knows how to win, in different ways and with different personnel.

His resume, featuring the words 'six-time Hampden league premiership coach', is testament to his nous.

Can he pull another rabbit out of the hat? He will try.

"I go back through the times I have been coaching and the years I remember are the ones (flags) where you felt like you didn't have enough players," Dowie told The Standard.

"2004 at Terang, 2010 at Warrnambool and 2014 at Koroit are the years where we probably didn't have enough and that is when you had to coach and make players better.

"The (North) boys hear the stuff around town - 'you've lost this bloke and this bloke and this bloke'. I think the underdog tag will sit pretty comfortably with us. As I said at Terang Mortlake a long time ago 'write us off at your own peril'."

North Warrnambool Eagles, which fell three points shy of a maiden senior premiership in 2019 and was denied a chance to make amends when COVID-19 cancelled the 2020 season, have lost top-liners.

Sam McLachlan, Tom O'Leary and Mitch Bowman have moved to Maroochydore, Darcy Keast will line up for Leopold, Michael Barlow has taken over as Werribee's VFL coach and Sam McKinnon, Jackson Couch and Will Scriven are bound for Melbourne.

Former AFL utility Billie Smedts is doubtful too while Kevin Bourke, who signed for 2020, won't play.

Dion Johnstone, who spent two seasons in the AFL with Melbourne, returns home to the Eagles' nest and former club best and fairest winner Dylan Parish is a chance to line up "but it's certainly not over the line yet".

Felix Jones has arrived from Portland with high hopes.

"The players that were good enough to get us within a kick of the premiership, the majority of them are players still at the club," Dowie said.

"The ones who are still there probably flew under the radar a bit and they hear the talk and if all of a sudden people are going 'North are going to be no good' that lights a fire in someone's belly."

Dowie said the Eagles' depth might be tested but their talented youth was in abundance.

Jett Bermingham has been training with Geelong's VFL program and then there's Bailey Jenkinson, Jackson Grundy, Tom Keast, the club's "hardest trainer" Jye O'Brien, Baillie Keast, Ned Timms and Ben Kellett.

"Judah Greene is 15 years old and he's like a wrecking ball; he's like a dog with a bone," Dowie said.

"Harry Keast is another one. Harry is 15 and he is probably going to play.

"We've been saying to our young players 'you think you're a long way away (from seniors) but some of you aren't'."

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