During the off-season, they appointed Daniel Todeschini as first grade men's coach, taking over from Rod Kain - who was in the role for three years.

"I put my hand up initially as there was nobody else was applying but since taking over, I have really enjoyed the challenge and a different aspect of football," Todeschini, who worked alongside Kain as an assistant coach in 2019, said.

"I have been part of the leadership group at the club for a while now, including two years as first grade skipper, and I feel positive about where we are at and where we are heading - the boys have adapted well to the changes that we are making."

While Kain brought experience to the role, Todeschini believes the Lighthouse Oval based men's squad are enjoying a fresh face as coach.

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"I can bring leadership [to the role] - my day job involves managing people, so I believe I know how to get the best out of someone," Todeschini, who's been part of the club since 2006, said.

"I am also a strong communicator, which helps get the message across swiftly.

"Then the fitness aspect is easy - I've just picked up stuff over the years and added my own flavour to the sessions."

On top of that of the change at the top, the club has made multiple adjustments to the playing roster - including losing two-time first grade Player of the Year Zane Wilson, who scored five goals in 2019.

"The loss of Zane Wilson is massive," the 32-year-old coach said.

"As a club we wish him all the best in Wollongong - he's a great player, a top bloke and he will be missed by us this season.

"We have also lost Zane's brother Joel, Dane Garnon and Wes Histon for the 2020 campaign."

To compensate for these losses, the Panthers have recruited strongly.

"We have bolstered our defence this year with two new additions - the first being Kel Ferguson, a centre-back who played for Gerringong a few seasons ago.

"More depth to the defence comes in the form of David Freeman.

"He's a defender who has had a stint with Tarrawanna in the Illawarra Premier League - he's registered and once he arrives in town, will be a very handy recruit.

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"The final addition is Chris Karacsonyi, who was a member of the last Milton first grade team to play finals football back in 2009.

"He's a very skilful player in the attacking zone and will create plenty of chances for us in the front third."

As well as this new trio, Todeschini has earmarked a number of other players to step up this season.

"Blake McCluskey will look to fill the void left by Zane Wilson - he has been impressive at training and looks set for a big year," he said.

"Zach Pullinger has been strong in pre-season and has become a vital member of our defence in the centre of the park.

"While a positional switch for Ivan Katusa should improve his output and make him more of a threat."

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It's because of these on-field changes that Todeschini believes the side has a distinct strength to hang its hat on.

"While David, who will provide plenty of experience to our younger players, is yet to arrive, our defence is looking better than I've seen it in years - it's definitely going to be the backbone of everything we do this season," he said.

"Combine that with the Milton culture of turning up for one another and never giving up, I believe you will see improvements across the board in 2020."

These improvements were visible at the recent Henk Ryug Cup, where the Panthers lost a tight final to Huskisson-Vincentia.

"After playing so well in the round games, we were disappointed not to take out the Henk Ryug Cup, especially as we had already defeated Huskisson earlier that day," he said.

"I was particularly impressed with the young guys we took up - they stood up and showed they're ready to play at this standard.

"The boys backed up that final appearance at our bushfire relief charity day against Forest Rangers FC, before drawing 4-all with Bankstown FC at Sussex in our final trial - we will take a lot from these moving forward."

Unfortunately for the Panthers and all other SDFA sides, the 2020 season kick-off has been pushed back until at least May, due to coronavirus fears.

"It's strange times at the moment - it's not something that I have ever encountered nor anyone else for that matter," he said.

"As we can't train as a squad, the boys have been doing their own running and ball work.

"We are also discussing loaning out equipment and sharing drills between each other in isolation, to ensure we are ready to hit the ground running when the season does start."

When the Panthers do return to the field, they are determined to improve on their seventh place in 2019.

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"Milton want to play finals - any team that doesn't have that ambition are lying, as that's the reason we all play," he said.

"To achieve this, we need to address our consistency.

"On numerous occasions in the past, we would back up a victory with a loss - games which we more often than not had control of, which was disappointing.

"It's been a big focus of ours this pre-season and if we can do that and learn to control the match better at certain times, it'll go a long way to achieving our goal this year.

"Then looking long-term, I've loved coaching the group so far and feel like we are building something special - it's up to us to build on these foundations, which should translate to success for years to come."