HDFNL - Ruck coup for Mount Pleasant with Down on move from Sandhurst

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MOUNT Pleasant has secured a recruiting ruck coup, signing Sandhurst's Chris Down for the 2022 Heathcote District league season.

The addition of Down, as well as 2019 Strathfieldsaye premiership player Will Wallace, adds to the growing list of former Bendigo league senior talent at the Blues.

Down is coming off a consistent shortened season with the Dragons in the BFNL this year, finishing runner-up to Lachie Ross in the best and fairest.

With Ross headed to Kerang and Down on the move to Mount Pleasant, the Dragons will head into next season without their top two in this year's best and fairest.

Down has been with the Dragons since 2019 following four seasons at Calivil United where he won a premiership in 2017 and multiple best and fairests, plus the Loddon Valley league's Harding Medal in 2018.

Testament to the consistency of Down, across his stints at Calivil United (71 games) and Sandhurst (31 games) he featured in his side's best players a combined 69 times across 102 matches.

"He's a real competitive beast. He trains really hard and I know he sets goals for himself internally that he aspires to," Mount Pleasant co-coach Darren Walsh said on Thursday.

"He's exactly what we need in terms of that competitive beast not only on the field, but at training as well.

"I don't think he likes coming off the ground or rotating too much... he thrives on playing in the ruck and I think he will work really well with Mitch Bennett."

The addition of Down will ease the workload on Bennett and allow him to play predominantly as a tall target in the Blues' forward line.

"We can now look to have Mitch play probably 85 per cent forward and we think that will work really well for us," Walsh said.

"Mitch is such a good mark and reads the play well, so we think he can be a really good forward, as well as learning a lot off Chris as well in terms of his ruck work."

There has been a vacancy created in the Mount Pleasant forward line with the departure of Rhys Deacon, who is moving to Perth.

The classy Deacon kicked 25 goals from five games in what was an injury-interrupted season this year.

Meanwhile, Walsh has earmarked a role in defence for fellow recruit Will Wallace.

Wallace spent this year at St Albans in the Geelong Football League having previously played at Strathfieldsaye, including in the Storm's 2019 flag, as well as the Bendigo Pioneers where he was runner-up to James Schischka in the 2019 best and fairest.

"He played in the ruck for Strathfieldsaye in the 2019 grand final, but he's coming off a knee injury so I'm pretty wary of that and we'll look to play Will down back," Walsh said.

"He's a great intercept mark and gives us some options in terms of playing on the opposition's best forward, or at centre half-back or half-back."

As well as Down and Wallace, the Blues have also added Zac Featherby from Sandhurst and Reardon McIvor from Eaglehawk to their list.

"Zac kicked a lot of goals in the reserves (28) this year and he will get his opportunity to show his wares," Walsh said.

"He's six-foot-three with a really good build who has been working hard on his fitness, so he's another forward option for us.

"And Reardon is another player we're looking forward to giving a senior opportunity to."

Along with Deacon on the move, veteran defender Dale Young and Cameron Moore have both retired and Fraser Cole is headed to Queensland.

The Blues finished this year's interrupted HDFNL season in fifth position with a 7-5 record from their 12 games. On-baller Liam Collins won the Blues' best and fairest.

The Blues were the top performed club across all grades of football and netball this year with a combined 79 wins.

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