Tara Murray
A list three years in the making has Bundoora primed for a strong Northern Football League division 1 season.
The Bulls, who were sitting second when the season ended last year due to the pandemic, have added several key pieces during the off season, including two former AFL players.
Bulls coach Michael Ryan said they were happy with the group that they had been putting together.
“We’re really enjoying it after an interrupted 2020 and 2021,” he said.
“The list is in good shape. We’ve spent three years building the list and the retention has been really good.
“We’ve had a strong pre-season and we’ll be ready for West Preston-Lakeside in round one. It will give us a little taste of what the season will be like.
“It’s been a really exciting first five weeks. We play three really good sides, we’ll have a good idea where we are at.”
Former Essendon star David Zaharakis is the biggest named recruit having signed on early in the pre-season.
The club also recently announced that former Melbourne player Neville Jetta had joined the club.
“Neville has been training with us since November,” Ryan said.
“How much we see of him with his VFL commitments and his AFL role with Collingwood as a development coach. Fingers crossed we see him for at least a couple of games.
“David and Neville are no different to Sam Lloyd when he came in last season.
“They’ve got an incredible wealth of experience and knowledge. They make the place better, not just playing but with the IP experience they bring.”
Jake Hobbs, who is on Essendon’s Victorian Football League list, has crossed from Taylors Lakes, while James Condello has joined from Macleod.
Another inclusion is 2017 premiership player Jack Furlong. He will have a delayed start to the season due to injury.
While the Bulls have added some top end talent, Ryan said they were excited by what the young batch of players can do.
The club’s under-19s were awarded the minor premiership last season, after bign on top when the season was called off.
He said the likes of Jesse King, Jackson Davies, Tylar Young and two-time best and fairest winner Bailey Thompson were among the exciting group.
“These boys are all 21 and under, so we’re excited about where we can go as a club.
“These boys are doing something special.”
The Bulls will kick off their season on April 2 at J.E Moore Park.
