READ MORE – BFNL 2019 fixture
SECURING another forward to play alongside recruit James Orr remains the top priority for Kyneton coach Luke Beattie ahead of the 2019 Bendigo Football-Netball League season.
The Tigers have signed Orr from North Central league club Boort.
Orr is best known as a high-leaping, athletic ruckman, but Beattie has him earmarked for a key role in attack in a bid to help alleviate the loss of last year’s leading goalkicker, Ethan Foreman.
Orr – the NCFL’s 2016 Feeny medallist – is coming off a 2018 that lasted just two games before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
“He’s been into the full pre-season with us, so he will be good to go for the start of the year,” Beattie said.
“He’s moving very well and we’re really happy with how he has come back and how he’s preparing.
“We see him as being a really good option for us in the forward line more so than in the ruck given we have fairly good ruck stocks already in Darcy Harris and Jordan Mangan.
“I think he can have a real impact up forward with his strong marking… it would be good though to be able to complement him with another nice hit-up forward to support him.
“Locking down another forward similar to what we had in Mitch Scholard a couple of years back is the sort of player we’re after.”
The loss of Foreman to Riddell is a major blow for the Tigers given his impact in the forward line last year, stepping up in the wake of Kyneton losing its gun forward duo of Ben Weightman and Scholard.
Foreman booted 58 goals, which included five hauls of five or more.
Only South Bendigo’s Kaiden Antonowicz (76), Strathfieldsaye’s Lachlan Sharp (74) and Eaglehawk’s Sean Williams (64) kicked more goals in 2018.
As well as Foreman, other players on the move from the Tigers include brothers Nick and Fintan Brazil to Murrumbeena, Daniel Davie and Bryce Hinneberg, who have joined Mount Pleasant, while Jayden Exell has signed at VFL club Werribee and Jack Exell Queenscliff.
The Tigers last year ended the home and away season third, earning their first double chance since 1999, but bowed out of September with a pair of triple-figure hidings against eventual premier Eaglehawk (112 points) and Sandhurst (104).
The two finals shellackings from the Hawks and Dragons came on the back of Kyneton announcing late in August it was about $200,000 in debt, but the club is understood to have already made significant inroads into eradicating that debt.
The Tigers begin their 2019 season with a home game under lights against Golden Square on Saturday, April 13.
They will follow that up with a Good Friday clash the following week against arch-rival – and expected flag contender – Gisborne.
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