HASTINGS promotes itself as the most successful football club on the Mornington Peninsula. With a history dating back to 1889 that includes 21 senior premierships, it has certainly enjoyed plenty of good times. Many of its players have gone on to league footy, among them legendary full-forward John Coleman and much-travelled ruckman Peter Everitt.

But these are dark days for the Blues, located on the shores of Western Port Bay, only 65 kilometres from Melbourne. Last year, they didn't win a game, despite being coached by a man who had played in four AFL premierships.

The two-year reign of former Melbourne, Fitzroy, North Melbourne and Brisbane Lions defender Martin Pike was tumultuous, to say the least. Appointed on the eve of the 2006 season, Pike promised a lot and was paid accordingly.

Yet it soon became evident he was a coach that liked neither training nor recruiting. Despite these obvious drawbacks, Hastings won five games in '06. Pike kept his job for another year, fending off rumblings about his lack of application and rumours he didn't even show up for one game.

"We had a past players' day and he rang up on the Saturday morning and was sick with food poisoning," explained Hastings president Kevin Miles. "We had a big crowd and a lot of people had come to see Martin but unfortunately he was ill and couldn't make the game."

Heading into the 2007 season, Miles was enthusiastic. "I thought with a decent pre-season, we could make the finals," he recalled. Things didn't quite go to plan.

After another lacklustre pre-season, the Blues were barely competitive. They only twice battled to within a sniff of victory.

"We just didn't recruit and I wouldn't say the players committed to the pre-season," Miles said. "Then injuries to four of our better players meant by round six or seven, everyone wanted it to be over already.

"It's unfair to pin all that on Martin. Obviously, Martin should have been able to recruit a couple of players and he couldn't. I can't be critical of Martin too much because it was a combination of things."

Miles and his fellow committee members began the rebuilding process by searching for a new coach. They aimed to attract another ex-AFL player and eventually achieved what they wanted, albeit through an unconventional process.

Former Western Bulldogs and Collingwood forward Tyson Lane has been a journeyman since leaving elite football. In six seasons, he has played for Aberfeldie in the Essendon and District league, coached two North Queensland clubs and last year served as an assistant with Swan Districts in the WAFL. When Swan Districts decided to appoint new coaches for 2008, Lane pondered a return to Victoria.

"I jumped on the net and had a look around on the VCFL website," he said. "I saw the Hastings job come up. I was excited by the prospect because I've been to a couple of clubs in Cairns who've had no success and taken them to premierships."

His application was eagerly received. "We got an email out of the blue from Tyson applying for the job," Miles said. "We'd nearly committed ourselves to someone else but fortunately, that didn't come off, so we contacted Tyson straightaway."

Lane and Hastings agreed to terms without the new coach setting foot in the town. "They just went off my resume and checked out my references," Lane said. "The club copped a bit of flak for appointing someone over the internet but I'm really happy here and I've signed up for two years."

The stocky 31-year-old's arrival six months ago brought a feeling of rejuvenation to Hastings. But he soon realised hauling the Blues up the ladder would be no easy task.

"On the first training night, I thought, 'What have I got myself in for?'," Lane recalled. "But the boys knew they had been lazy. They knew they'd had no discipline. They've been really good in changing their ways."

Lane has made an impact off the field as well. Employed by the football club to look after its sponsorship, he has proven a great success.

"Just the general feeling we get from the businesses around the town is that they all know who he is," Miles said. "He goes in and stops for a chat and so the whole town's talking about Tyson Lane."

However, the real buzz has been created by the arrival of an eclectic bunch of recruits. The biggest name signing was full-forward Ryan Ablett, who in the previous two seasons kicked 252 goals for Bunyip in the Ellinbank league.

Others have come from afar. Decorated midfielder Willy Alick, a Torres Strait Islander, has travelled from Cairns, while fellow onballer Jake Dennis finally arrived from Southport on Thursday.

"There's nothing better than getting some new recruits into the town and everyone's keen to come and have a look at them," Miles said.

That proved true last weekend when Hastings recorded its second-highest gate takings (more than $2600) for a home-and-away match. Blues supporters were also delighted to see senior captain Michael Agnello back to full fitness after he almost died from a blood infection early last season.

Unfortunately for the big crowd, Bonbeach stole the show, running out an eight-goal winner. Speaking to his players after the match, Lane discovered many had been so nervous beforehand, they hardly slept.

"The boys carried the expectations of the whole town over the pre-season and I think it really showed," he said.

Yesterday, Lane was confident they could finally break their losing streak when Karingal, coached by former St Kilda defender Justin Peckett, visited Hastings Park.

"As soon as I came on board, I started talking positive," Lane said. "I thought if I could recruit the guys I was chasing, we could win 10 to 12 games and go close to making the finals. That surprised a lot of people but I'm a terrible loser and I think everyone here is sick of getting beaten."