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Kyneton coach Luke Beattie was left stunned by forward Ben Weightman’s departure to HDFNL club Mt Pleasant.
The star forward told the Tigers on Monday that after four years with the club he was leaving to play with Mounts.
“Ben was in high demand across a number of clubs, but we had some conversations in regards to next year that I thought were fairly cemented,’’ Beattie said.
“Something has popped up that was probably too good to refuse for him and his family.
“That’s disappointing for us, but plenty of players across different leagues are in the same boat. That’s the way footy is heading at the moment.”
Weightman, who kicked 278 goals in 70 games with the Tigers, joins fellow forward Mitch Scholard as major departures for Kyneton.
Scholard leaves the Tigers to return to Queensland after kicking 186 goals in 55 games.
The star duo combined for 151 goals in 2017.
“It gives us an opportunity for us to have a look at how we go about things,’’ Beattie said.
“We had a clear recruitment process prior to this (Weightman’s departure), so we’ll now have to get a forward in to help fill that space.
“In saying that, I think we have some good goal kicking abilities across the club that are still here.
“Harrison Huntley, Dan Davie, Max O’Sullivan, Tommy O’Sullivan are goal kickers and we have plenty of kids coming through.
“This year we leaked more goals as a team than we would have liked and that’s a bigger issue for us as far as our development is concerned.”
Beattie said the club was well-advanced in talks with recruits who would help fill holes for the Tigers through the midfield and in defence.
“Hopefully, we’ll finalise two to three signings this week,’’ Beattie said.
“Those players sit in the mould of the type of players we were looking for to take the list forward.
“We’ll look for a key forward option now as well.”
Meanwhile, the Tigers are on the hunt for a new under-18 coach for the 2018 season.
The Tigers are looking for someone who has experience working within a talent pathway, strong interpersonal skills to deal with players, staff and board members, the ability to engage with the club’s members, sponsors and the media and previous coaching experience.
Applications can be sent to Hayley Short via e-mail kfnc.generalmanager@gmail.com
Closing date for coaching applications is Friday, October 27.