This pre-season has been one of homecomings at Bundoora Football Club.
After losing half the senior line-up a year ago, several past players have returned to the Northern Football League division 1 club this pre-season.
Bulls football manager Darryl Richards said club culture was a major reason so many players had come back.
They include Matthew Ferraro, Adam Follacchio, brothers Trent and Troy Barbero and David Mitchell.
Former Essendon VFL player Liam Byrne has also committed to play full-time with the Bulls.
“It was disappointing [to lose so many players last season] and we rebuilt the list,,” Richards said.
“We have a great team of young guys who got us into finals.
“This pre-season, just about everyone who left has returned and that adds to the team.
“We have built a culture that entices good people to the club. When you get good people, you want to keep them.
“All of the players who came back approached us.”
But the Bulls have also been busy trying to get new players and have signed Essendon VFL ruckman Isaac Muller,
who was playing at Greenvale, and are in talks with a couple of players from Footscray’s VFL squad.
“A few younger players who have come in,” Richards said.
“We want to be able to build from within the club in the future and that’s part of that.”
But Division 3 best and fairest winner Daniel Moore won’t be joining the club after deciding his body couldn’t hold up to playing division 1 football.
Moore, who was training with the Bulls, has returned to Epping, where he will be an assistant coach and is likely to pull on the boots.
Richards said the only big departure was versatile big man Ned McKeown, who has joined division 1 rival Macleod.
The Bulls is now likely to be without former Essendon player Ricky Dyson, who was one of the 34 Essendon players and former players who were banned for 12 months by the World Anti Doping Agency last week.
“It is very sad,” Richards said of Dyson’s situation. “He’s fitter than he’s ever been and he’s back to his Essendon playing weight.
“He had been named a senior assistant playing coach and that sparked him. He could be reduced to a spectator now.”
The Bulls resume training on January 28 and will then head to an off-season camp at Torquay.
