BFNL Signing Tracker: Every recruit and departure in the 2023 off-season

A BFNL club has landed another player from Newtown & Chillwell — it’s third recruit of the off-season See every move here.

Geelong Amateur set the BFNL off-season alight when it landed one of the best footballers outside the AFL in two-time J.J. Liston Trophy winner Tom Gribble.

Who are the other big signings, and which clubs have lost players to rivals?

Keep up to date with every signing and departure here.

Anglesea

Dylan Featon (Deer Park)

Joins Anglesea having previously played for Dear Park and Sunbury. Played two years with the Calder Cannons in the TAC Cup as a junior.

Barwon Heads

Departures: Ned Aulsebrook is East Geelong’s new playing coach and former Seagulls ruckman Conor McKinnon has joined him at the Eagles. Bradley Michell split his time between the reserves and seniors, has moved to Belmont Lions in the GDFL. Two-time premiership player Logan Mitchell has also departed the Seagulls’ nest for the GDFL, heading to Thomson.

Ned Aulsebrook is East Geelong’s new coach. Picture: Alan Barber

Drysdale

Departures: Ex-Essendon player Lauchlan Dalgleish will return to his former VFL side Footscray to take up a a coaching role. He will play with Ballarat Swans in the Ballarat Football League outside of his coaching commitments.

Coaching announcements: The Hawks confirmed after their grand final loss that Tom Ruggles will step down from his co-coaching duties next season. The club signed former 200-game Hawk Brent Taylor to be their reserves coach for next season.

Geelong Amateur

Tom Gribble (Werribee VFL)

In the biggest signing of the BFNL off-season, the Ammos landed Werribee VFL superstar Tom Gribble as a full-time playing assistant coach for the 2024 season in a major coup for the club. The dual J.J. Liston Trophy winner has been a ball-magnet at VFL level for a decade, averaging 30.9 disposals, 6.4 clearances and 120 SuperCoach points this season on his way to a third-placed finish in the league best-and-fairest. Gribble was aligned with the Ammos for the 2023 season.

Tom Gribble will play with Geelong Amateur next season. Picture: Kelly Defina/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Blake Sutterby (Newtown & Chillwell)

Will join Gribble in a beefed up engine room after deciding to leave Newtown & Chillwell and return to his former club, where he won back-to-back premierships in 2016. One of the top midfielders in the GFNL, Sutterby averaged 31 disposals and eight clearances this season and won two best-and-fairests at the Eagles.

Harrison Orr (Newtown & Chillwell)

The Ammos have landed another Eagle in Orr, who played 13 senior games and four reserves matches for Newtown & Chillwelll this season. His father Jason was a premiership player with the club.

Modewarre

Josh Hovey (St Joseph’s)

Brings more than 100 games of GFNL experience to Modewarre, joining his father at the club. Comes from St Joseph’s and will rejoin the BFNL ranks after a brief stint with Torquay in 2017.

Coaching announcement: Mark Hovey has been signed as Modewarre’s new senior coach, replacing Chris Carlon who decided to step down after their elimination final loss. An 1989 premiership player with the Warriors, has fulfilled coaching roles at GFNL, TAC Cup and VFL level.

Newcomb

Damien Horbury (Wycheproof Narraport)

The Barwon Heads premiership player is back in the BFNL after two seasons at Wycheproof Narraport. Horbury joins Newcomb as a playing assistant coach, having previously spent two years in the VFL with North Ballarat earlier in his career.

Josh Saltalamacchia (St Albans)

The Saltalamacchia name continues at Newcomb with Josh crossing from St Albans to the club where his father, Adrian, captained a premiership in 2005. The midfielder also played for Waratah Warriors in the NTFL and booted 13 goals in 17 games for St Albans this year.

Josh Saltalamacchia in action in the NTFL. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Jarrod Stafford (Stawell Warriors)

Signed as a playing assistant coach, Stafford has more than 200 games under his belt, most of those with East Burwood in the EFNL. Was named in the Wimmera Football League for Stawell this year.

Josh Taylor (Geelong West)

The 22-year-old joins his partner, Power netballer Chloe Hoyle, at the club. Taylor has played 29 senior games for Geelong West over the past three seasons, including eight in 2023.

Finn Anscombe (Hepburn)

Newcomb’s playing assistant coach has returned to the Power for 2024 to fulfill the same role. Anscombe has 150+ local senior games under his belt and knows his footy, having worked at Brisbane as a recruiting analyst, Sydney Swans as lead performance analyst and as an AFL analyst at Champion Data.

Nick Bourke has joined the Grubbers as a playing coach. Picture: Supplied

Ocean Grove

Nick Bourke (Koolora-Noorat)

The former AFL listed Cat has been locked in as the club’s playing coach. With VFL experience and a GFNL premiership with Leopold in 2016 under his belt, Bourke won a premiership with Koolora-Noorat in the Warnambool District League in 2019 becoming playing-coach of the club in 2022.

Queenscliff

Departures: Team of the year midfielder Lachie Kidd has been poached by Bannockburn. A big blow to their on-ball brigade.

Matt Boag dishes out a handball. Picture: Mark Wilson

Torquay

Matt Boag (Newtown & Chillwell)

The reigning premiers had been quiet over the off-season but they have landed their big fish, landing Newtown & Chillwell’s 2023 best-and-fairest winner Matt Boag. The prolific midfielder was a ball magnet for the Eagles this season, averaging 33 disposals per game.

Departures: Former Geelong VFL player Ben Raidme announced his retirement at the end of the season.

Originally published as BFNL Signing Tracker: Every recruit and departure in the 2023 off-season