NORTH Bendigo has made its first move in improving its list to go one step further in the Heathcote District Football League next year by luring star centre half-forward Brady Herdman.
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The Bulldogs - after going into the game hot favourites - lost this year's HDFL grand final to Lockington-Bamawm United by 11 points, continuing a premiership drought that dates back to 1977.
But Herdman's signing provides a massive kickstart to the Bulldogs' 2015 aspirations.
Herdman joins the Bulldogs from a four-year stint at Wedderburn that yielded four North Central Football League premierships and 229 goals.
He has one of central Victorian football's most revered CVs, having also played in back-to-back Bendigo Football League premierships with Eaglehawk in 2007 and 2008, the second in which he was captain.
Herdman - who won this year's Wedderburn best and fairest - is also a previous BFL inter-league captain in 2010.
"Having three young kids, I'm looking forward to being able to spend a bit more time with them. I only live five minutes around the corner from the ground here and have a few mates who play at the club already," Herdman said on Thursday.
"North Bendigo has been around the mark for the past couple of years and is heading in the right direction, so hopefully, I can be a part of some success here.
"My uncle Barry Findlay is helping out a bit at the club and I've always wanted to have the opportunity to be involved with him, and with the way the team is looking, I'm excited to be jumping on board."
Herdman says it wasn't an easy decision to leave the Redbacks on the back of the club winning four flags in a row - something never achieved before in the NCFL.
"There has been quite a few of us who have played over the four years and travelled up and back each week, so it's going to be hard not playing with those guys again," Herdman said.
"But at the end of the day, I wanted to spend more time with my kids and playing at North Bendigo will allow that."
The Bulldogs have the makings of a new-look forward line next year, with not only Herdman, but the return of Michael Leech, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in North Bendigo's opening game this year.
"To add a quality footballer and person like Brady into the club has generated a lot of excitement among the playing group," North Bendigo co-coach Rob Bennett said.
"Nothing against the forward line on grand final day, but we probably lacked a little bit of what Brady brings.
“His record in grand finals and finals series speaks for itself and to have a guy like that roaming around in the forward 50 is going to be a bonus for us.”
As well as the marking and goalkicking power Herdman offers, Bennett says the experience of a six-time premiership player joining the club shouldn’t be under-estimated.
“We probably lacked that grand final experience on grand final day... just knowing what it takes to win and that’s what probably helped Lockington out in the end,” Bennett said.
At this stage, the only confirmed departure from the Bulldogs - who are holding their presentation night on Friday - is ruckman Tony Plim, who has retired.
North Bendigo’s signing of Herdman comes 24 hours after Colbinabbin announced superboot Grant Weeks was returning to the Grasshoppers next year.