Shepparton Bears secure Luke Smith in first of many signings for club
A country club has secured one former premiership player with plans in place to secure more as it hopes to rise up the ladder.
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The Shepparton Bears are looking for a return to the glory days in the Goulburn Valley League.
And they’re doing it by getting their premiership heroes back with one already signing on.
After finishing seventh last season the team has started their off-season recruiting, securing 2018 premiership player Luke Smith.
The midfielder/forward has been playing for Geelong in the VFL since playing for the Bears and Katandra in 2022.
Smith also played in the Northern Territory league last season for Southern Districts and kicked 66 goals during the Bears premiership year.
“Our main goal was to secure the current list and we did a lot of work during the season to get those signatures,” Bears president Brendan Bicknell.
“We went out to do some recruiting and Luke was one of the ones we really wanted.
“He’s got a good connection with our club with the current playing list, he knows all the boys.
“He’s going to help out the thirds in a coaching role, so we’ve done really well to secure Luke.”
Bicknell revealed Smith might not be the only one to join from the 2018 triumph.
“We’re in discussions with a few, we’ll hopefully have some signings in the next couple of weeks.,” he said.
“I can’t divulge too much at this stage but we are in discussions with them.
“We definitely want to rebuild and get back to being a really competitive side.”
The Bears have not made the finals since 2019 but feel the club is in a position to get there in 2024.
The focus is now on targeting specific players.
“We’ve got enough leg speed and run, so we’re looking for some bigger body midfielders and a key forward,” Bicknell said.
“We wouldn’t say no to a big ruckman and those sort of things, we’re always looking to improve our list and make it better.
“It’s just what we can attract and what we can fit in. For us it’s about growth.
“We plan to make finals next year but we’re under no false illusion around (other teams being strong).”
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