Collingwood VFL ruckman signs at Eastern league club

COLLINGWOOD VFL ruckman Lachlan Howe, 200cm and 100kg, will be a handful for Eastern league big men next year.

AT 200cm and 100kg, Lachlan Howe is indeed a big recruit to the Eastern league for 2019.

The Collingwood VFL ruckman has stepped away from the state league to join Division 1 club Blackburn.

Listing Yarrawonga as his local club, Howe, 25, played six games for the Magpies this year, taking his tally to 38.

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“He’s exactly what we’ve been missing,’’ Blackburn coach Brendan Allen said.

“Obviously we didn’t have Matt Tuminello last year (owing to study and family demands) and Kyle Dove did a fantastic job in the ruck, albeit that he’s a centre half back.

“Lachlan has been touted as the best ruckman in the Ovens and Murray footy league, and he’s played a fair bit of VFL, so he’s pretty big get for us.

“We should be able to stop the good teams putting us to the sword at stoppage … means we won’t just be defending all the time and will be able to compete with the big boys like Liam Wale-Buxton.’’

He said Howe was working in Melbourne and had tired of the travel to play for Yarrawonga.

Howe grew up in rural NSW, played for the Murray Bushrangers in the TAC Cup and spent time with Geelong VFL. He linked with Collingwood in 2014.

Blackburn has also secured De La Salle young gun Liam Murphy.

He is the youngest of the four footballing brothers who attended De La Salle College and joins sibling Xavier at Morton Park.

Xavier gave the Burners an outstanding 2018, being named in the best in 13 of his 18 matches and sharing the best and fairest with Pat Contin and Ben Daniher.

Liam Murphy played in a premiership with the Sandringham Dragons in 2016 and was De La’s best first-year player in 2017.

The club elevated him to its leadership group this year.

Young VAFA star Liam Murphy has joined Blackburn.

“For Liam it’s just about being able to play some footy with his brother (Xavier),’’ Allen said.

“They’re a close-know family, as well as a football family.

“He’s young but he’s a very talented player and a blue-chip person.’’

When he was a Rising Star nomination this year De La Salle said Murphy had “a mix of Jack Ziebell’s hardness and Dylan Shiel’s class’’.

In more good news for Blackburn, former Geelong-listed forward Ryan Bathie will be with the club full-time next season.

Bathie has been on Richmond’s VFL list since 2014.

He kicked 34 goals from 17 outings in Eastern this year.