Crib Point bolstered by a package of East Burwood recruits

WHEN Nathan Johns was appointed coach at Crib Point in October he promised to shake the club up.

East Burwood ace Stephen Henshaw has joined Tyabb.

WHEN Nathan Johns was appointed coach at Crib Point in October he promised to shake the place up.

Two months in and the Magpies are buzzing with excitement after gaining eight recruits, including a package of five East Burwood players.

“Recruiting has been really good,’’ Johns, 25, said.

“They wanted fresh faces through the door, we got them, and now we’ve got to put all the foundations and framework into place.’’

East Burwood star Stephen Henshaw, who won the club’s best and fairest this year, headlines the Crib Point arrivals.

“He’s the one to watch, he’s got plenty of x-factor about him,” Johns said of Henshaw.

“He provides a lot of leadership and stands at about 6ft2, you can play him anywhere, which is good to have.”

Wayne Cripps, Matt Henriques, Sam Kilduff and Mykelti Lefau (who also played VFL with Casey) are other East Burwood players to join the Magpies nest.

Myles Jamieson (Bright) and Jayden Duman (Knox) are other signings, while Johns hopes to snare 6ft6 twins Rueben and Kieren Jamieson.

He said more recruits could follow.

“The door is always open, that’s for sure,’’ he said.

Johns said Crib Point’s training had been positive and would ramp up after Christmas.

The rookie coach has already locked in practice games against Kangaroo Flat, South Belgrave and Numurkah.

KARINGAL has also had an influx of players as it prepares to take its place in Division 2 of the MPNFL next season.

Some familiar names have returned to the club, leaving the Bulls ready to charge into 2018.

Todd and Justin Farrelly, David Hirst, Grant Goodall, Aaron Paxton and AJ Fowler are all back, while Steve McInness (Devon Meadows) and Matt Jackson (Mt Eliza) and Matt Stanley (Mt Eliza) have signed.

David Hirst has left Somerville and returned to Karingal.

And there are likely to be more recruits to come, according to Karingal’s new coach Brett Dunne.

“I reckon we’ve got a couple more,’’ he said. “We’re still talking to a forward and we’ve got a kid coming out of Gippsland. I reckon he’ll be a pretty handy player.’’

Dunne is rapt with the additions.

“We looked at the list and it lacked a lot of experience,’’ he said.

“Hopefully we are getting it right, getting more experienced guys to try and redirect it a bit.

“There’s a lot of energy around Karingal because of the new clubrooms. And when we got a run on of returning players it’s boosted a bit of atmosphere. It’s going well. But it’s only December.’’