"The commitment that people have shown to the football club has exceeded my expectation," Ingold said. 

"All the hard work that the committee has done, we're going to be rewarded this year. We're going to see the rewards starting to come through with the seniors' competition." 

2019 is the first year that the Eagles will field a senior men's side in an ACT competition, and Ingold was highly impressed with the display that the Eagles put forward in their trial match against the Gungahlin Jets' second grade team on March 31. 

"It went well, considering it was the first run as a group," Ingold said. "The guys showed a lot of potential, a lot of really good signs coming out of that game. I could only pick positives, the only negatives were a couple of injuries. We'll be pushing to get guys back by round one." 

What has pleased Ingold more than the potential shown by the team is his players' commitment to their training. 

The Eagles currently have very few facilities available at the Murrumbateman Rec Grounds. There are no changing rooms, no irrigation, and no lights (although there are plans to install lighting in the future), which makes training an exercise in creativity for the club. 

As of late, the Eagles have struck a deal with the Murrumbateman RFS, who have provided lighting under which the club can train once a week. 

"Where there's a will, there's a way," Ingold said. "The RFS was really great to come on board and bring a couple of trucks down once a week for us so we can train under lights. 

"The boys have shown that resilience, if there's something there that they can train under, they will." 

The hard work of the last two years has paid off for the Eagles, and the season launch this Saturday will serve as a welcome opportunity to celebrate their achievements. The launch will take place at the Murrumbateman Pub at 6pm. 

The Eagles will also play their first match of the season against the Goulburn Swans on Saturday April 27 in Murrumbateman.