KYNETON will unveil an almost new-look backline, while also adding to its midfield depth after what has been a productive recruiting campaign heading into the 2022 Bendigo Football-Netball League season.
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The Tigers have not only landed five new recruits to the Showgrounds, but have four former players returning to the club as they strive to push back into finals contention under second-year coach Paul Chapman after finishing seventh in the shortened 2021 season.
"We didn't want to bring in just good footballers, we wanted to bring in players who were going to buy into our culture and that's what we've gone and done," Kyneton football director Jesse Grae said on Friday.
The first new Tiger to sign on was midfielder Dean Bartrop, who won Tullamarine's best and fairest in 2019 and has since been followed by the quartet of Steve Georgiou, Mason Crozier, Frazer Driscoll and Lachie Ford as new players to the club.
"Mason Crozier and Steve Georgiou are best mates who have played a lot of footy together at Rowville before Mason went to Port Melbourne Colts," Grae said.
"They have both played metro footy their whole lives and love the feel of playing in the country.
We didn't want to bring in just good footballers, we wanted to bring in players who were going to buy into our culture and that's what we've gone and done
- Jesse Grae
"Mason will play a mix of centre half-back and full-back for us and Steve has played a lot of his footy at Rowville off half-back, but we'll look to play him through the midfield.
"We've got Frazer Driscoll from Southern Districts in the Northern Territory league and he has previously played with North Adelaide in the SANFL.
"He will be a swingman for us with the flexibility to play forward or back as a third-man-up type player. He was an emergency for the Northern Territory representative team this year, so he's a quality player.
"And we've also picked up Lachie Ford, who will play on a wing. He's previously made the under-16 Queensland state side and been on the Oakleigh Chargers list and played with Old Xaverians last year."
As well as the five new recruits to the club, the Tigers also have Ben Xirha, Jake Saffstrom, Mitch Comben and Oscar Power as former Kyneton players returning for season 2022, while Hamish Yunghanns is vieing for a spot on Carlton's VFL list.
"One of our first targets was to improve our backline and with Mason and Frazer, as well as Ben Xirha and Jake Saffstrom, we think we've been able to do that as well as adding a bit more depth to our midfield," Grae said.
At this stage the only outs from Kyneton's regular senior side of last year are Tom O'Sullivan, who has moved to America, and Will Daly.
The Tigers have practice matches locked in against Woodend on March 5, Daylesford on March 19 and Sunshine on March 26 before their round one game against country rivals Castlemaine at Camp Reserve on Saturday, April 9.
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