Colbinabbin's bid for its first HDFNL premiership since 2008 has been boosted by the signing of the three Fitzgerald brothers from Balranald.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Laine, Nash and Logan Fitzgerald have joined the Hoppers for the 2021 season.
Laine, who was captain of the Bendigo Pioneers in 2017, arrives at the Hoppers on the back of senior best and fairest awards at South Mildura and Balranald in his past two seasons.
Nash is a forward with good hands who has three years of senior experience with Balranald, while Logan is a midfielder who played with the Pioneers and Assumption College in 2019.
"We're very happy to have the three of them,'' Colbo coach Julian Bull said.
"We've tried to get Laine to the club before. He works for Elders and does quite a bit of business out Colbo way and he hangs out with a few of four players.
"For a 21-year-old he's already done a lot in football. He's a topline midfielder, who is a good mix of inside and outside and he hits the scoreboard. It's a good fit for us.
"He's won a club best and fairest in a strong competition in Mildura and then won one at his home club, so he's obviously a very handy player."
Read more: Catch up on all the latest local footy news
Bull said Laine and Nash will add some class and depth to Colbo's midfield and forward mix.
"The reports out of the Pioneers is that Logan has plenty of upside,'' Bull said.
"he was one of their better performing midfielders last year and he can go forward and hit the scoreboard.
"Nash is different again, who is more of a forward and he's been an important part of Balranald's senior team.
"The great thing for us is that they're all around or below the age of 21, so they're on the up in terms of their football."
Colbo prides itself on being a family club and Bull said the Fitzgerald siblings suited their recruiting criteria.
"They're really good fits for us,'' Bull said.
"We like to concentrate on country people. Two of the brothers are based in Bendigo which is great for our training group.
"Their family is very involved in football and wanted to see them playing together.
"All of those things ticked all the boxes for us and ticked all the boxes for the family."
Read more: The 50 best HDFNL players since 2012
The Hoppers lost the 2019 grand final to North Bendigo and looked set to be one of the leading contenders in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic put paid to the season.
Bull said the club was confident it would have another strong playing group in 2021.
"We don't think we'll lose many players. There's a couple that are probably sitting on the fence at the moment,'' Bull said.
"We'll have limited changes. We've probably had a recommitment from 95 per cent of the group already."
The quality of the HDFNL continues to improve, with the Fitgzeralds signing with Colbinabbin out on the heels of Mount Pleasant adding former Bendigo Football Netball League star Adam Baird.
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.
