KYNETON coach Luke Beattie hopes an increase in depth at the Tigers will help offset the loss of some of the club’s star power in the Bendigo Football League this year.
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Among the Tigers’ losses during the off-season have been two of their elite players in Alik Magin (to Sunbury) and Ben Weightman (Southport Sharks), while Kyneton has also lost ruckman Joel Stevenson to the Southport Sharks in the NEAFL.
“It’s probably been a bit glass-half-full-half-empty down our way,” Beattie said this week.
“We’ve lost some really talented footballers, but we’ve also picked up a few as well.
“Our strategy when we lost those key players like Benny Weightman, Alik Magin and Joel Stevenson, given he was a ruckman, was it’s futile to try to replace them, so we’ve looked to try to generate stronger depth among our group, rather than trying to go out and get those real top-end players like the former AFL and VFL players.
“We felt if we had a stronger overall group of 22 out there each week, that would carry us further through the season.
“Depth is our focus this year, and then in future years we might be able to go out and target those ex-AFL and VFL level players again.”
Among the recruits to the Kyneton Showgrounds for 2016 is a quartet from Mitcham in the Eastern Football League – Jarrod Andreatta (defender), Nick Higginson (ruckman), Leigh Warne (defender) and Jarrod Wintish (onballer), who have all been cleared to their new club.
The Tigers have also added a pair of ex-Gisborne players – Josh and Hamish Govan – who under the new AFL Victoria player points system have an additional point added as they are crossing from one BFNL club to another.
Max O’Sullivan and Pat McCarthy from Xavier College have also joined the club, with O’Sullivan a returning Tiger.
“Pat has some good height and looks like he’ll play half-forward/half-back roles. Max will most likely play as a small forward and onballer,” Beattie said.
Ethan Foreman is also returning to the Tigers from a stint at Riddell, where he won the Doug McIntyre Medal for best on ground in the Bombers’ 2013 Riddell District Football League grand final.
Former VAFA representative player Jonno Nash, a half-back/midfielder, is also heading to Tigerland, as is former Northern Blues’ development list player Hugh Schiavello, while Nathan Thompson is back at the club.
As well as pulling the boots back on for the Tigers, his junior club, which makes Thompson a one-point player, the former Hawthorn and North Melbourne 179-game forward is coaching Kyneton’s under-14 team this year.
The Tigers – who last year made finals for the first time since 2003 - host rivals Gisborne in round one on Saturday, April 16.