Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A FORMER captain and the club’s last winner of the BFNL’s Michelsen Medal are both headed back to Gisborne after three years away from Gardiner Reserve.
The gun midfield duo of best mates Casey Summerfield and Scott Walsh are joining Pat McKenna as former players who are returning to Gisborne for 2019.
Summerfield and Walsh were both among a host of experienced players who departed the Bulldogs at the end of the 2015 season, but both are excited to be back to help the club continue its resurgence under coach Clint Young.
Summerfield has spent the past three seasons playing in the Riddell District league with Macedon, with his stint including winning a flag with the Cats in 2017 that ended a 41-year drought.
“Scotty and I are the best of mates and it has been hard not playing with each other over the past three years, as well as a lot of the other boys at Gisborne,” Summerfield said on Thursday.
“I enjoyed my time at Macedon, but I’m rapt to be back home and looking forward to a big year.
“I was on the verge of coming back to the club last year… I’ve always loved the footy club and at the age of 30, I reckon I’ve got two or three years of good footy left in me and I want to play them at the highest level I can and that’s with Gisborne.
“The list they have is exciting and to play under Youngy is a great opportunity. There’s plenty of good reasons to be coming back.”
Gisborne is shaping as one of the teams to watch in 2019 on the back of three years of investment in youth.
The Bulldogs this year made the finals for the first time since 2014 and inflicted one of only three losses on premier Eaglehawk.
The addition of Summerfield and Walsh bolsters the Bulldogs’ midfield, which was this year led by former Collingwood-listed Matt Goodyear, skipper Jarrad Lynch and Ethan Minns.
Walsh has played the past three years with Riddell. He played in two grand finals with the club in 2016 and this year, but lost them both to Diggers Rest, including the 2016 decider in extra time.
“I’m really looking forward to coming back to Gisborne,” Walsh said.
“Gisborne is my home club and I’ve missed playing Bendigo footy. I’ve got a lot of mates still at Gisborne and with my best mate Casey coming back as well, I wanted to play with him again.”
Walsh won the BFNL’s Michelsen Medal in 2012, but endured an injury-interrupted following three years that started by suffering a broken leg at the opening bounce of the 2012 grand final against Golden Square.
However, Walsh put those injuries behind him to play 51 of a possible 57 games during his time at Riddell, with whom he was the 2016 best and fairest.
Both Walsh and Summerfield have previously represented the BFNL at inter-league.
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.