New Boort coach Andrew Hawker has wasted little time in improving the playing stocks of the 2019 North Central Football League wooden spooners.
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Hawker has signed eight recruits for the Magpies, headlined by 2017 Harding Medal winner in the LVFNL Ben Knight.
Knight spent the past two seasons with North Bendigo in the HDFNL and was a member of the Bulldogs' 2019 premiership side.
He adds some much-needed class and premiership experience to the Magpie midfield.
Two 2017 Calivil United premiership team-mates of Knight - Alex Davis and Levi Moss - have also signed with Boort.
Former Inglewood defender Jarrod Starr, former Strathfieldsaye and Hay forward James Falconer, ruckman Sam Dewar, former Calivil United forward Jesse Muscatello and Darcy Hawker - son of coach Andrew Hawker - have also joined the Magpies.
"I targeted the midfield group and some height, which most clubs chase the same thing, but to get a midfielder of Ben's quality to get the ball rolling is a real bonus,'' Hawker said.
"Quite a few of the boys are mates and once you get one you're a chance to lure some of the others across.
"Levi Moss is a quality player, Alex Davis is probably best known as a key defender, but we think he might be able to play as a mobile forward at times as well.
"Jarrod Starr gives us some outside run and I'd imagine he could play on a wing or even half-forward. He's quite a classy player.
"Jesse (Muscatello) is coming back to footy after a year off travelling. He played for the Pioneers and went down to Coburg, but had a few injuries. He's another mobile forward option for us."
The Magpies only won two games in 2018 and were winless in 2019.
While he's elated with the early off-season signings, Hawker knows the Magpies still have a lot of work to do.
"We know we're coming from a long way back, but the feeling around the club is positive,'' Hawker said.
"We're confident we'll take some steps in the right direction, but how far that takes us we'll have to suck it and see a little bit.
"We're confident we're moving the right way and that we'll be more competitive without getting carried away.
"We'll certainly have more playing depth than we had the past couple of years."
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