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Premiership stars Tyson Findlay and Joel Helman won't play with North Bendigo in the 2021 Heathcote District Football Netball League season.
The Cheatley Medal winners have signed with Helman's home club the Cohuna Kangas in the Central Murray Football League.
"It's been talked about for the past couple of months and they'll both play with Cohuna next year,'' North Bendigo coach Matt Dillon said of assistant coach Findlay and Helman.
"Losing players of their calibre is always disappointing, but they've both been wonderful for the club.
"Joel and Tyson are pretty close and I think they always had the idea that they'd go to Cohuna to play together at some stage.
"Ideally, we thought it might happen in another 12 months, but it's probably a timing thing with Tyson in his early 30s now and he feels the time is right to move on.
"Joel has shown great commitment to travel down from Cohuna for training every week.
"We're disappointed to lose them, but we can't take it personally.
"Joel won a league medal and was a big part in helping us win a flag. Tyson won three flags with the club and a league medal and has been an outstanding player...his leadership and coaching has been a massive help to me since I've been at the club."
Helman won the Central Murray league medal the previous year while playing for Cohuna.
Dillon said the Bulldogs had already spoken to potential recruits to replace the dynamic duo.
"We've had a chat with a potential replacement as assistant coach and we've set the wheels in motion there,'' he said.
"As early as it is...everything is looking positive there.
"We'll attack the players we need to get. Obviously, a gun midfielder is in those plans.
"We've lost a couple of good players, but you can't sit on your hands, you've got to get out there and try to replace them."
Before signing any recruits for 2021, the Bulldogs - like every team in country Victoria - are waiting on updates on salary cap and player points levels for next year.
Reports suggest there will be a decrease in salary caps for all leagues across the state.
"We need to know that ASAP and most clubs are sweating on that as well,'' Dillon said.
"I'm hearing there could be a lot of movement around the traps, so it's important that clubs find out about salary caps and points pretty quickly."
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