It was a season from hell.
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The Shellharbour Suns stayed anchored at the foot of the AFL South Coast men's premier league ladder, finishing winless in 2019. The lowest point? A 157-point drubbing at the hands of the Wollongong Bulldogs.
"It was boys versus men this year," Suns president Steve Ashworth said.
"Even our young, good kids didn't compare to the [Wollongong] Lions guys who are late 20s and built like tanks."
The Suns now hope two men can make sure history doesn't repeat in 2020.
The club has been active during the pre-season, highlighted by recruiting promising midfielder Fintan Smith and Fijian flyer Jiuta Vateitei.
Smith and Vateitei come from very different backgrounds. In fact, they grew up more than 3000 kilometres apart.
Smith, 20, is a Figtree junior who previously played for the Wollongong Lions under-19s in the AFL Sydney competition.
Vateitei, 24, hails from Fiji and has played in the last two International AFL Cups. He was picked in the "world" team as one of the tournament's standout performers.
"Fintan is a tough midfielder, very tough," Ashworth said. "He's a pretty good package - he's a good size with height so he has a really good leap on him. He likes the contact and likes the in and under stuff with the ball while being athletic. He can kick a ball and has a good tank on him.
"Jiuta's been playing since 2010. He was one of the most decorated players on the island of Fiji. He really wants to make a go of AFL, he wants to come over and improve himself. I think he's looking to bring his family over here and give them a better life in Australia."
The Vateitei recruitment was made possible thanks to a sponsorship agreement through the Australian immigration department and AFL Fiji. The Suns hope it's the start of something special.
"We're looking at bringing over another Fijian," Ashworth said.
"We're looking at a ruckman who can play down back, or forward. The guy that we like is being looked at by another Australian team so he's going to have to choose between the clubs."
The Smith and Vateitei recruitments have been complemented by several re-signings over the past few weeks.
Reigning best and fairest winner Jarod Falconer, utility Kaden Emery, ruckman Lachlan Coleman, young gun Blake McKenzie and veteran Scott McLennan are among the players to commit to the Suns again in 2020.
The club is in negotiations to sign a new coach and Ashworth said the Suns were also keen to remain active in player recruitment.
"We had to, didn't we [after last year]? It was either that or probably drop back to division one," he said.
"We realise that we started recruiting too late last year and probably left it a bit long with a few guys. So we've started early and got a few results, and hopefully there's a few more to come.
"We're looking forward to having a bit more size around the paddock."
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