http://www.cairnspost.com.au/sport/player-coach-marc-harbrow-wants-weekly-improvement-from-city-lions-in-cairns-afl-2014-season/story-fnjpuwrj-1226827707739
HE isn't silly enough to make any bold promises of finals football or premierships.
All Marc Harbrow asks is for never-ending improvement from his Cairns City Lions this season.
The Holloways Beach club have been like a boat with one oar in recent seasons, working overdrive but finishing the season at square one.
Harbrow took over the coaching from Jason Roe for the latter stages of last season and instigated a degree of general cohesion.
The older brother of Gold Coast Sun Jarrod hopes to build on that and give their loyal supporters something to look forward to each weekend.
"Every club is going to say they'll have a good year, but all I'm talking about is consistency and gradual, never-ending improvement," the 28-year-old said.
"I have seen that in the last eight or nine months and I hope the fans of the side and the club members can realise that things have changed too.
"He'll get an indication of that by the size of the crowd for round one, but the hard work started well before Christmas as the side trained several times a week.
What will be noticeable this season is the Lions' maturity and size through the spine, with Harbrow recruiting key targets and big bodies to complement the pace they already boast on the flanks.
"I'm not going to make any promises about performance, but I will say we will look very different from last year. We needed a spine because of the players around that were already here," he explained.
Tasmania has proved a happy hunting ground, with last year's recruit Tom Nichols staying on and bringing some mates, including new assistant-playing coach Michael Paul.
Nichols missed most of last season with a finger injury but Harbrow hoped the league would see his class in his return season.
"We haven't seen half of what he can do. Even when he returned he wasn't in shape last season," the coach said.
The Lions have had good numbers on the track, even without Harbrow getting involved as he battles the return of a knee injury.
"I will have to make a decision (on whether I play) later on, but if it gets to the stage where I have a team and there is no room for me, then that's good news," he said.
"I'm really enjoying the coaching so it wouldn't be the worst thing."
And Harbrow, who will begin his first full season of head coaching, said he would let the players get involved in the process too.
"I don't want it to just be me talking. I want Mick and Tom and everyone getting involved.
"I think at the end of last season we started to find a consistency in following direction, training and recovery.
"I want that to continue and I want the guys to play for each other."
Last Modified on 06/11/2014 15:14