Central District signs former Crows forward and Dogs junior Troy Menzel for 2019 SANFL season
A FORMER Crows forward has bucked offers from rival SANFL teams to return to play with junior club Central District in 2019.
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A FORMER Crows forward has bucked offers from rival SANFL teams to return to play with junior club Central District.
The club announced on Wednesday Troy Menzel will return to the Dogs in 2019 after spending a season in the Adelaide Footy League with Tea Tree Gully.
The former Adelaide and Carlton forward has made his way back to Elizabeth despite significant interest from at least two other SANFL clubs.
Menzel’s brother Daniel, also a Dogs junior, is also looking for a new club after he was delisted by Geelong on Wednesday.
But Daniel may still court interest from AFL clubs and a return for both brothers to Central appears unlikely.
Menzel, who was the club’s youngest ever debutant when he made his Dogs debut at 16 years and 283 days old in 2011, won the best on ground medal last month as the Gullies won the division one grand final.
Speaking after the victory at Thebarton Oval, Menzel said he made the move to Tea Tree Gully to play with mates and rediscover his love for the game.
“I made the decision to come back purely for enjoyment of playing the game again and I’ve definitely found that here – to walk out at the end of the season with a flag is a bonus,” Menzel told Messenger Community News.
The 24-year-old booted 58 goals in 21 games in a season which also saw him named in the Adelaide Footy League team of the year.
He also coached the Gullies’ under-18 side.
Menzel was drafted by Carlton at pick 11 in the 2012 national draft and was traded to Adelaide in 2015 after 40 games and 47 goals for the Blues.
He then struggled to crack the senior side at the Crows, playing four games across two seasons before he was delisted at the end of 2017.
