Tea Tree Gully signs Alex McKay, Dylan Weaver, welcomes back Luke Brown for 2025
A recently relegated Adelaide Footy League club has welcomed back a number of big names for 2025 including a former Crows gun and dual league medallist as it prepares for instant division two success.
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A recently relegated Adelaide Footy League club has welcomed back a number of big names as it prepares for instant success in season 2025.
Tea Tree Gully will welcome former Crow Luke Brown back from an ACL injury sustained in the 2023 D1 finals as well as premiership captain Alex McKay and former Central District gun Dylan Weaver after dropping to division two.
A young Gullies side suffered relegation from the top division after finishing just two points from safety last season but has been buoyed by the signings and return of a number of key players including Brown, McKay, Weaver, Ryan Spittle, Peter Persinos, Will Cansdell and Thomas Tocano.
Premiership coach Justin Maschotta said the club was confident ahead of its 2025 campaign.
“We’ve had a really strong pre-season so far,” Maschotta said.
“We were in every game we lost last year and lost eight by under 12 points with six of those being in the last 30 seconds so we still believe we’re at that division one level.
“We lost 1800 games of experience after the 2023 preliminary final so getting some experienced guys back is what the list needed.
“The boys are looking fitter and stronger and we’re truly optimistic for the year ahead.”
Brown was dominant in his first year of local footy with TTG before suffering his acl injury and should provide a major boost along with McKay around the ground.
Maschotta said he was also excited by the return of other names as well as the addition of Weaver, who was fresh off of a Hills Country Division premiership with Gumeracha.
“Weaver is a coach in the making and is coming off of a long career with Central District and brings a lot of leadership.
“He adds support to our club and the younger players and he’s also an outstanding player at the peak of his powers.
“We’re also getting year two or three into a lot of our younger guys who have come back and maybe found it a bit tough without much experience in the top division last year.
“A player like Chris Olsson will be in year two of our program and there will be a lot of other guys we have that belief and trust in coming through.”
Tea Tree Gully had the sixth best percentage in division one last season despite suffering relegation.
Maschotta said he believed his side was still at the level of a top tier team and would prepare to get back to experiencing D1 success.
“The way we see it, we’re a division one footy club and we don’t go outside of the blueprint of who we are or have any kneejerk reactions,” he said.
“Our program is firmly fixed on education and development backed by really strong culture and standards.
“We’ve gone up a notch and we’re preparing to win a division one premiership, we just happen to be in division two.”
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