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FIRST Bailey Henderson, then Zach Denahy and now Tommy Horne.
Castlemaine has another of its former players back at Camp Reserve with past best and fairest winner Horne returning to play with the Magpies in the Bendigo Football-Netball League.
Gun midfielder Horne rejoins the Magpies fresh off winning the Maryborough-Castlemaine District league's Berry Powell Medal with Maldon this year.
A former VFL-listed player with Box Hill, Horne won Castlemaine's best and fairest in 2016 and two years later played in Newbridge's 2018 Loddon Valley league premiership team.
"It's a great addition to our list to have Tommy back and allows us to continue to move forward in the manner that we've done in terms of recruiting our locals back to the club," Castlemaine coach Don Moran said on Friday.
"To have a player of Tommy's calibre who has a previous link to the club is just awesome for us.
"He's coming in off the back of a strong season this year with Maldon winning the league medal and it's great we've got another A grader along with Bailey Henderson that we can inject into what has been a really young midfield.
He's coming in off the back of a strong season this year with Maldon winning the league medal and it's great we've got another A grader along with Bailey Henderson that we can inject into what has been a really young midfield
- Don Moran - Castlemaine coach
"He's a quality footballer, he prepares well and we're really looking forward to him showing our young group the way.
"The best part about what we've been able to do the past few weeks is get some support around our young group."
The Magpies have battled through an enduring period of struggle since last playing senior finals in 2005.
Over the past four seasons during which they've claimed three wooden spoons the Magpies have won just three of 66 matches and lost their past 47 games.
However, the club has been buoyed over the past month by the signings of Henderson, who played his junior football with Castlemaine before joining Strathfieldsaye, where he played in the Storm's 2019 premiership, as well as being on Richmond's VFL list.
And Denahy is another former Magpie back at the club following a stint with Harcourt in which he kicked 119 goals in 25 games across the 2019 and 2021 seasons.
"We're really excited to have all three boys back and, hopefully, with a bit of luck we can continue to add to our list," Moran said.
"Having Bailey come on board first has been huge and allowed us to have a lot of positive recruiting conversations."
Meanwhile, a key question heading into the 2022 season for community football will be whether a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy will be introduced.
The AFL on Thursday released its COVID-19 vaccination policy, which will require all AFL and AFLW players, as well as football program staff, to be vaccinated before the start of the two seasons across a three-stage schedule.
At this stage there is no vaccination mandate policy for community football.
"The AFL is encouraging the community and everyone in the industry to go and get vaccinated so we can once again unite as families, as friends, as work colleagues, as team-mates, as supporters and as communities," an AFL Victoria spokesperson said.
"Following the release of the AFL's COVID-19 vaccination policy for all AFL and AFLW players and football program staff, should there be any policy updates relevant to football outside of the elite level, including state leagues, talent programs and community football, these will be communicated in due course."
AFL Central Victoria region manager Carol Cathcart has said AFLCV would "follow health advice and policies from AFL Victoria and Netball Victoria".
ALL THE 2021 BFNL SENIOR RESULTS:
ROUND 1:
Golden Square 26.15 (171) def Kyneton 8.8 (56)
South Bendigo 19.29 (143) def Castlemaine 5.7 (37)
Sandhurst 19.17 (131) def Maryborough 4.6 (30)
Eaglehawk 13.15 (93) def Kangaroo Flat 3.3 (21)
Gisborne 13.13 (91) def Strathfieldsaye 12.18 (90)
ROUND 2:
Maryborough 21.22 (148) def Castlemaine 5.5 (35)
Kyneton 16.19 (115) def Kangaroo Flat 5.10 (40)
Sandhurst 11.12 (78) def Strathfieldsaye 8.17 (65)
Golden Square 12.12 (84) def Gisborne 10.12 (72)
South Bendigo 13.14 (92) def Eaglehawk 13.13 (91)
ROUND 3:
Eaglehawk 36.23 (239) def Castlemaine 1.5 (11)
Gisborne 23.14 (152) def Kangaroo Flat 4.5 (29)
Strathfieldsaye 24.13 (157) def Maryborough 9.7 (61)
South Bendigo 13.12 (90) def Kyneton 12.8 (80)
Sandhurst 15.3 (93) def Golden Square 13.13 (91)
ROUND 4:
Eaglehawk 20.16 (136) def Maryborough 3.5 (23)
Sandhurst 19.22 (136) def Kangaroo Flat 5.4 (34)
Kyneton 13.24 (102) def Castlemaine 11.6 (72)
South Bendigo 16.7 (103) def Gisborne 11.12 (78)
Strathfieldsaye 12.23 (95) def Golden Square 12.8 (80)
ROUND 5:
Gisborne 33.27 (225) def Castlemaine 2.1 (13)
Strathfieldsaye 19.19 (133) def Kangaroo Flat 4.2 (26)
Eaglehawk 15.19 (109) def Kyneton 9.14 (68)
Golden Square 10.19 (79) def Maryborough 8.6 (54)
Sandhurst 13.13 (91) def South Bendigo 11.16 (82)
ROUND 6:
Sandhurst 31.21 (207) def Castlemaine 2.7 (19)
Golden Square 19.15 (129) def Kangaroo Flat 7.8 (50)
Strathfieldsaye 17.13 (115) def South Bendigo 11.8 (74)
Kyneton 17.13 (115) def Maryborough 12.12 (84)
Gisborne 9.13 (67) def Eaglehawk 8.15 (63)
ROUND 7:
Strathfieldsaye 33.15 (213) def Castlemaine 0.0 (0)
Gisborne 22.17 (149) def Kyneton 7.7 (49)
Golden Square 18.18 (126) def South Bendigo 15.8 (98)
Kangaroo Flat 18.10 (118) def Maryborough 15.5 (95)
Sandhurst 13.8 (86) def Eaglehawk 10.17 (77)
ROUND 8:
Golden Square 27.24 (186) def Castlemaine 3.0 (18)
Gisborne 21.19 (145) def Maryborough 2.3 (15)
Strathfieldsaye 17.20 (122) def Eaglehawk 10.8 (68)
Sandhurst 14.16 (100) def Kyneton 7.12 (54)
South Bendigo 10.17 (77) def Kangaroo Flat 4.7 (31)
ROUND 9:
South Bendigo 24.13 (157) def Maryborough 3.5 (23)
Strathfieldsaye 18.18 (126) def Kyneton 4.6 (30)
Gisborne 17.10 (112) def Sandhurst 6.10 (46)
Kangaroo Flat 13.19 (97) def Castlemaine 7.4 (46)
Golden Square 15.10 (100) def Eaglehawk 10.12 (72)
ROUND 10:
Sandhurst 21.20 (146) def Maryborough 1.1 (7)
Eaglehawk 22.13 (145) def Kangaroo Flat 2.7 (19)
South Bendigo 18.23 (131) def Castlemaine 3.1 (19)
Golden Square 17.12 (114) def Kyneton 8.8 (56)
Strathfieldsaye 10.15 (75) def Gisborne 5.2 (32)
ROUND 11:
Eaglehawk 27.12 (174) def Castlemaine 6.2 (38)
Strathfieldsaye 22.17 (149) def Maryborough 6.6 (42)
Gisborne 23.20 (158) def Kangaroo Flat 10.8 (68)
South Bendigo 15.14 (104) def Kyneton 9.12 (66)
Golden Square 17.12 (114) def Sandhurst 11.12 (78)
ROUND 12:
Round abandoned
ROUND 13:
Round abandoned
ROUND 14:
Round abandoned
ROUND 15:
Round abandoned
ROUND 16:
Golden Square 23.21 (159) def Castlemaine 4.3 (27)
Gisborne 25.11 (161) def Maryborough 10.6 (66)
South Bendigo 24.11 (155) def Kangaroo Flat 9.12 (66)
Strathfieldsaye 19.15 (129) def Eaglehawk 7.10 (52)
Sandhurst def Kyneton - forfeit
ROUND 17:
Round abandoned
ROUND 18:
Round abandoned
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