EDFL 2019: Zac Keogh looks to cross from Maribyrnong Park to Greenvale

Maribyrnong Park and Greenvale are locked in a tug of war for the services of a star midfielder ahead of the 2019 EDFL Premier Division season.

Zac Keogh is one of Maribyrnong Park’s star performers. Picture: Jamie Morey

Maribyrnong Park will block Zac Keogh’s bid to link up with EDFL Premier Division rival Greenvale and has vowed to ensure the star midfielder honours his contract.

Keogh claimed the Reynolds Medal for the competition’s best and fairest player in 2017 and has established himself as one of the competition’s elite talents.

The former Coburg and Port Melbourne VFL player has attempted to join the player exodus at the Lions, with the club waving goodbye to several key players during an eventful off-season.

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Maribyrnong Park president Doug Stevens said his club intended to hold Keogh to his contract.

“He signed a contract in October with us and as far as we’re concerned at this stage he’s a contracted player and required to play at Maribyrnong Park,” Stevens said.

Keogh has made 54 senior appearances for the Lions in the past three seasons and has been named in their best players 26 times, underlining his consistency.

Asked if Maribyrnong Park could force Keogh to sit out the season if his desire to switch clubs did not waver, Stevens said: “That’s a matter for us to consider down the track.

“At this stage I wouldn’t make a comment on that.

“That’s a matter for our executive and our coaching staff to consider as we get closer to the season if Zac’s still hellbent on moving clubs.

“But let me say this … the guy is contracted to us. Another club in the same competition as us knows full well he’s contracted to us. I’ll leave it to you to work out what’s the honourable and decent thing to do.”

Greenvale president Bruce Kent conceded it was unlikely Keogh would take the field for the Jets in 2019.

“He indicated to us that he wanted to come and play at Greenvale,” Kent said.

“He apparently knows a number of our players and wanted to play and we said ‘that would be good’, but I understand the suggestion is he’s contracted to Marby.

“I haven’t seen his contract, but if he’s contracted to them and they want to make him stand out for the season, they can do that.”

Maribyrnong Park has lost 2018 Reynolds Medal winner Will Martinello, former coach Robert Castello, Daylan Kempster, Chris Prowse, Nick Prowse, Lee Johnston, Nick Linton and Josh Pickess.

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