EDFL: Burnside Heights signs WRFL star Jarrod Tuppen
A Western Region Football League Team of the Year member and interleague representative has crossed to Burnside Heights in a major boost after the EDFL club contested finals for the first time in 2019.
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A Western Region Football League star has landed at Burnside Heights.
Persistence paid off for Bears coach Aidan Stott when St Albans gun Jarrod Tuppen signed on in a significant boost for the Essendon District Football League Division 2 outfit.
Tuppen was selected in the WRFL Division 1 Team of the Year in 2016 and picked in the league’s representative side in 2019.
The experienced tall is set to be Burnside Heights’ ruckman in 2021 but he has also performed impressively in the defensive half.
“We finally got him at the third attempt. We’ve been trying for about three years,” Stott said.
“He’s pretty well known in the Western Region, so we’re pretty happy to have him on board.”
Tuppen and Stott have a connection stretching back several years.
The recruit featured in a reserves flag at St Albans under Stott in 2014.
“That was the year he had quite a few injuries, so he qualified for the twos and played in the finals and won the best on ground in the premiership, so that was pretty solid,” he said.
The Bears have also locked in several key players for next season as they look to keep their momentum rolling.
The club contested EDFL senior finals for the first time in 2019, advancing to the preliminary final.
Sharpshooter Josh Covelli, who has booted 225 goals for Burnside Heights in the past three campaigns, has re-committed, along with versatile big man Anthony Fawcus (42 goals in 2019) and Matthew Peterlechner (39 goals).
Reigning best-and-fairest and ever-consistent midfielder Adam Sullivan has also put pen to paper.
Division 2 clubs will have $70,000 to spend on players next season after the cap was cut by 50 per cent amid the coronavirus crisis.
“It’s obviously going to be a bit tougher with the salary cap that’s coming in,” Stott said.
“The group’s a pretty good group. We’ve targeted guys that aren’t just after money or things like that the last few years. We’re hoping we can retain basically 100 per cent of the list.
“In the next couple of weeks, we’re hoping to have nearly 100 per cent signed.”
Jake Galea, Matthew Marshall, Robert Nikolic (all St Albans), Matthew Maxfield (Craigieburn), Adam Imber, Luke Vella (both Westbourne Grammarians), Aaron Verrocchi (Melton Centrals) and Darren Saad (Northern Saints) were among the Bears’ ins before the season was canned.
“We made some big steps to where we wanted to get to (in 2019),” Stott said.
“We’ve added enough to our list and we’ll be right up there hopefully.
“We will be different from the 2019 finals squad. If we can retain who we had signed for 2020 … we think we’re in pretty good nick.”
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