NORTH Bendigo has landed a late recruiting coup with 2014 BFNL league premiership star Rachel McKenzie to line-up with the Bulldogs.
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The speedy goal attack, who was a member of Gisborne's grand final side against Sandhurst in 2018, will make her Bulldogs debut in this Saturday's Heathcote District league season opener against Huntly.
Her acquisition gives North Bendigo a new pair of quality former BFNL goalers, after the earlier pre-season signing of former Eaglehawk shooter Dayna McGough.
McKenzie had originally been set to continue her career with Kangaroo Flat, the club she became a BFNL premiership player with in 2014, but a change in circumstances has led to her arrival at Atkins Street.
It's another major signing for a new-look Bulldogs squad certain to be in contention for a return to finals action for the first time since 2016 under former coach Tamara Gilchrist.
An elated North Bendigo coach Ellena Findlay hoped the signing of McKenzie would give her side the momentum it was looking for heading into a tough, but exciting first-up encounter against the Hawks.
"It's been a really good build-up, the girls have gelled really well," she said.
"From where we are coming from (seventh on the ladder) it's hard to tell how things might go, but we are confident we will improve.
"Having Rachel McKenzie come over to us is huge. We are rapt to have both Rachel and Dayna at the club."
The Bulldogs will start the season with just three regulars from last year's line-up - captain Lara Daly, Sam McDougall and Rhianna Broadbent.
With McKenzie and McGough obviously familiar to one another through their time in the BFNL and both being former North Central region representatives, Findlay said the transition to team-mates for the pair had been smooth.
"Watching them at training you can see they have gelled together really well, which is a major plus," the second-year Bulldogs coach said.
North Bendigo will be looking to build on a 4-12 campaign in 2018.
The Bulldogs' record could easily have been much better had it not for a sprinkling of narrow and gut-wrenching losses, particularly in the early weeks of the season, by five goals or less.
Huntly too will have plenty to prove after fourth and fifth placings in the last two seasons.
Coach Emily Eliades confirmed Shelby Webster and former Maiden Gully YCW pair Laura Hamilton and Samantha Nelson would play on Saturday, giving the Hawks an entirely new combination at the defensive end of the court.
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