Coghlan has put in a clearance to join Eastern Football League club Waverly Blues.

“James has university and work commitments in Melbourne and he’s decided he’s not going to travel back to Bendigo to play footy this year,’’ Sandhurst coach Wayne Primmer said.

“There’s always an attrition rate when you travel back to play footy, so you can’t blame him.”

Coghlan was one of the best negating defenders in the BFNL last year.

He spent most of the year playing on small forwards, but was given the task on stopping some of the premier tall forwards in the competition as well.

“We’ll miss him, there’s no doubt about that,’’ Primmer said of Coghlan.

“He can play on smalls and talls… in the final home and away game last year we played him on (Kyneton’s) Mitch Scholard and he did a great job.

“He reads the play well, intercepts the footy and is a good tackler.

“There was a good possibility we would have used him in the midfield this year and groomed someone else for that defensive roll.”

Coghlan’s departures means the Dragons have lost two of their back six from their premiership team.

Brock Knights has returned to Wodonga after one year with the Dragons.

Sandhurst has also lost goal kicking midfielder Koe Ngawati, who has signed with Thomastown.