EDFL 2019: Mitch Jensen makes switch to Essendon Doutta Stars

Just two days after Romsey vowed to hold one of its gun players to his contract, he has switched to a new club in a rival competition.

Mitch Jensen is back at Essendon Doutta Stars. Picture: David Crosling

Premiership player Mitch Jensen has returned to Essendon Doutta Stars in a significant mid-season boost for the EDFL Premier Division outfit.

Just two days after Romsey president Eden Jedwab vowed to hold Jensen to his contract, he has been named in the Stars’ squad for Saturday’s clash with Airport West.

Jensen crossed to the Redbacks from Ovens and Murray club Wangaratta over summer.

He has been in red-hot form for Romsey, bagging 43 majors to sit fourth on the RDFL goalkicking table before his departure.

Jensen was a member of the Stars’ 2015 Division 1 flag and Footscray’s 2014 VFL premiership.

Mitch Jensen fires off a handball during his days at Footscray.

Essendon Doutta Stars coach Kyle Hardingham said his star signing would spend most of his time in the attacking half to go with stints in the midfield.

“Very unexpected but obviously a massive injection of a bit of outside pace and that polish that we require,” Hardingham said.

“It’s nice hearing that blokes want to come back to the club where they played all their junior footy.”

Hardingham said a text message from one of his players set the wheels in motion to snare Jensen, with the Stars becoming aware he was unhappy at Romsey.

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“I’ve spoken to him. He said he had no issue with the club, no issue with the coach (Corey O’Sullivan), no issue with way he’s been treated, he just wanted to play with guys he grew up with,” Jedwab said on Wednesday.

“If Mitch doesn’t play for Romsey anymore, we move on, our football club doesn’t revolve around Mitch Jensen.”

The Stars have lacked a target up forward, with Jordan Schroder (nine goals) their leading goalkicker.

Spearhead Alex Boyse has been limited to four games because of injury.

“I think it’s more the polish (Jensen adds). We’ve got guys who are capable of kicking goals, but he’s got that natural ability to know where the goals are,’” Hardingham said.

“I really think it adds a bit more firepower but it gives us options to run him through the midfield.”

The Stars, who narrowly avoided relegation from the top flight in 2018, sit in sixth position with a 3-6 record in Hardingham’s first year at the helm.

“For us, it’s more about the improvement and making sure as a group we improve and play a consistent brand of footy,” he said.

“The improvement has been there and we’ve taken it up to a lot of the top-four sides. It’s just been one quarter that has let us down.

“The back of the year, we really want to focus on putting together four quarters of footy.

“We believe in ourselves and our system that if we get the four quarters right, then we’re going to win more games than we lose.”

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