EDFL: Tullamarine regains Russell Laurie, signs Craigieburn premiership pair
Division 1 premiership aspirant Tullamarine has received a boost with two members of Craigieburn’s 2019 premiership team putting pen to paper, while a star defender has returned to the club.
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Tullamarine’s bid for an elusive Essendon District Football League flag has received a boost with two players from 2019 Division 1 premier Craigieburn putting pen to paper.
Half-forward Sam Laffan and defender Dominic Micallef have crossed to the Demons with the pair set to fill important needs for David Connell’s side.
Laffan, who featured in Craigieburn’s 2016 and 2019 premierships, will add pace to Tullamarine’s line-up as it searches for an edge in finals on the wide expanses of Windy Hill.
The Eagles were outgunned by East Keilor in their regular-season fixtures last year before Lance Whitnall’s men proved too strong and quick across the ground during the finals series.
Connell has made an effort to inject more speed into his squad following last season’s preliminary final defeat, with Jacob Osei-Duro (Thomastown), Rhys Clarke (Seymour), James Duell (Pascoe Vale), Michael Gatt (East Keilor), Liam Lucas and Michael Dalrymple (both Oak Park) among the ins after the 2019 campaign.
The club also has an impressive batch of teenagers who have graduated from under-18.5s level.
“Post 2019, we were really impressed by the way Craigieburn went about it,” Connell said.
“We thought Sammy would just top all of that (recruiting) off.
“We’re rapt to get him on board with us. He’s a double premiership player at this level, he’s only 24 years old and gives us that pace that we need with a big ground at Tulla.
“We think we’ll be able to utilise his assets fairly well.”
Micallef will bolster the back six after Tullamarine’s defence leaked more goals than 2018 last year.
“Over the last couple of years, losing blokes like Craig Steele and Russell Laurie, going into 2019 we thought we had it covered and I think we ended up about three goals on average worse off for scores against,” Connell said.
“We probably put that down to losing two of those stalwarts in the back six.
“Although we’ve got blokes like Timmy Matson coming through, we just felt that we needed another guy that could play small or take a key position or play on someone like (East Keilor recruit Brandon) Coletta. Dom will do that.
“He’s only 24, a premiership player in 2019, been at the level and knows what to expect.
“He’ll probably free up someone like a Timmy Matson.”
Star defender Laurie will return to the club next year after retiring at the end of 2018.
Connell said Laurie, who was named in the Team of the Year in 2016 and 2018, remained an elite backman.
“In 2018 he was at the top of his game,” Connell said.
“He was Team of the Year full-back and he definitely went out on his own terms and on top.
“It wasn’t purely footy-related that he finished up. He’s got a young family and his own business. It was more lifestyle.”
Connell said all of the club’s recruits since the end of last season had recommitted apart from gun midfielder Shannan Broadbent.
The decorated veteran, who has been a member of seven flag-winning teams and claimed nine club best-and-fairest awards, will weigh up his future in coming months.
“If he plays football, he’s playing at Tullamarine,” Connell said.
“But we’ve just got to wait and see. He’s been out of the game two years now, he’s 41 next year. He will probably do some training with us and we’ll keep that one a bit low key and see where it ends up.”
Connell said the Demons had an impressive group of young players coming through, headlined by Jarrod Stephens, who played one senior game last season.
Standing 6 foot 3, Stephens can play in the ruck or across half-back and Connell declared “we think will be every bit as good as a Timmy Matson”.
“We think this kid will be a star,” he added.
Tullamarine has contested finals the past seven seasons, finishing runners-up in 2014, ’16 and ‘18 and dropping three preliminary finals.
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