Thrum becomes Square premiership player to take on coaching role

Sunrasyia league club Irymple has appointed Thrum as its new coach.

Thrum joins 2023 premiership team-mates Jack Geary (Cohuna Kangas) and Hamish Morcom (Huntly) as newly-appointed senior coaches, while another of the Bulldogs' premiership players, Liam Barrett, is now an assistant coach with Moama in the Murray league.

Thrum has been a star for the Bulldogs through seven seasons at the club be it playing as a running defender or on a wing.

And he remains the last player to be best on ground in a BFNL inter-league win having done so against Outer East in 2019.

The BFNL won that game by 99 points at the QEO, but hasn't played an inter-league game since.

Thrum, who has moved to Mildura for work, also represented the BFNL inter-league team in the 2018 loss to Hampden.

He was named on the wing in the Addy's BFNL Team of the Year this year following a season in which he averaged 31 disposals and nine marks per game.

The polished left-footer had 26 disposals and six marks playing in defence in the six-point grand final win over Sandhurst last month.

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Thrum played 128 games for Golden Square after joining the Bulldogs from Cohuna in 2016.

Thrum takes over an Irymple team that won the Sunraysia league premiership this year after beating Robinvale by 29 points in the grand final.

"Jake evokes great running power and an elite left foot," Irymple said in announcing Thrum's appointment.

"You can expect to see a fit and fast moving 2024 Swallows outfit."

With Thrum's coaching appointment the Bulldogs have six confirmed departures from their premiership team.

As well as Thrum, Geary, Morcom and Barrett, fellow premiership players in ruckman Matt Compston has retired and Zavier Murley has signed with Castlemaine.

The Bulldogs did announce a key re-signing on Wednesday with this year's best and fairest winner and star midfielder Tom Toma recommitting for 2024.

Toma is now a three-time Golden Square best and fairest winner having also won it in 2015 and 2017 during his first stint at the club.

READ MORE: Lefroy signing adds VFL experience to Kangaroo Flat list

On the recruiting front the Bulldogs have a pair of former players returning to the club in Jordan Rosengren from Wedderburn and Kyle Stevens from Merbein.

At Castlemaine, the Magpies have continued their fruitful recruiting campaign as they continue to shape as the BFNL's big improvers in 2024 under new coach Michael Hartley.

The Magpies' latest addition is 20-year-old Ben Quaynor, the younger brother of Collingwood premiership defender Isaac Quaynor.

"Ben is the sort of player who can play anywhere... he is athletic and his fitness is elite," Hartley said.

"At this stage he will most likely play in defence, but he has that versatility where he can play multiple roles.

"He has really good skills and at his age still a lot of upside, so we're really happy to have him on board."

Quaynor has been part of Collingwood's Next Generation Academy as well as the Northern Knights in the Coates Talent League. He was a "train-on" player with Collingwood's VFL team this year.

The signing of Quaynor follows the Magpies having already recruited Golden Square's Murley, the Harcourt premiership duo of Kalan Huntly and Darby Semmens, as well as Hartley, who has committed to Castlemaine for at least the next two years.

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Meanwhile, South Bendigo is anxiously awaiting to learn the extent of a knee injury forward Will Keck has suffered in the off-season.

"We're not fully aware yet of how bad it is, but it doesn't sound good in regards to his ACL being a possibility," new South Bendigo coach Steven Stroobants said.

"Hopefully, in the next week or so we'll know."

Keck is coming off a career-best season for the Bloods, kicking 40 goals and averaging 19 disposals and six marks per game.

The Bloods have lost two keys from their midfield with the departures of former coach Nathan Horbury, who will play with Noosa Tigers next year, and Oscar White, who will play in Melbourne.

South Bendigo finished fifth this year after losing the elimination final to Eaglehawk by 33 points.

The Bloods will begin pre-season training on November 13.

Stroobants has taken over as coach of the Bloods with support from Isaiah Miller having previously coached Goulburn Valley league club Rochester for three years.

"I'm eager to get back into coaching and getting that help from Issy is going to be good," said gun forward Stroobants, who kicked 55 goals in his return season to the Bloods this year.

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