Local Footy 2021: Top 15 recruits to watch in the EDFL this season
With the February transfer window open, here’s 15 big names who have put pen to paper with EDFL clubs since the 2020 season was canned.
Essendon
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Essendon District Football League clubs have been busy since the 2020 season was cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic as they look to bolster their line-ups.
Anticipation is high ahead of the first bounce on April 2 (Good Friday), with the February transfer window also re-opening.
As clubs put the finishing touches on their senior squads, here are some of the headline recruits in recent months.
Heath Shaw (East Keilor)
He was linked to several clubs in the Northern league, but the former gun AFL defender has put pen to paper with Division 1 side East Keilor in a stunning recruiting coup. Shaw played 325 games at the top level (173 at Collingwood and 152 at Greater Western Sydney) before he was delisted by the Giants at the end of last year. The 35-year-old is expected to be available for 14 games and will be capable of performing a role in any part of the ground at suburban level. What a luxury for Cougars coach Pat Christofi.
Lynden Dunn (West Coburg)
Dunn has signed on as a playing assistant coach for the next two seasons as he joins close friend and West Coburg boss Dale May. The 33-year-old retired from the elite level last season after 198 games and 99 goals for Collingwood and Melbourne over a 16-year career. Dunn is set to fill a role in the forward line alongside fellow ex-AFL player Daniel Archer and Liam Bowkett at the Division 1 club. The Burgers are chasing a return to Premier Division, and Dunn’s arrival will only help the cause.
Gavin Urquhart (Essendon Doutta Stars)
Former North Melbourne defender Urquhart will return to the EDFL this season. Urquhart, who played 41 games for the Kangaroos over five years at the elite level, has put pen to paper with Premier Division outfit Essendon Doutta Stars and will add unquestionable class across the half-back flank. Since exiting the AFL ranks at the end of the 2012 campaign, Urquhart has taken the field for Airport West (2014) and Pascoe Vale (2015-2018) in the top flight, earning Team-of-the-Year nods at both clubs. The 32-year-old spent 2019 with Riddell in the Riddell District league and was also named in the Team of the Year.
Chris Stewart (East Keilor)
Another big in for East Keilor, Stewart has featured in a remarkable 10 senior premierships at local level – seven at Deer Park, two at Maribyrnong Park and one at North Heidelberg. The big man is rated among the best players in suburban football, booting 236 goals from 143 games for the Lions in the past seven years, claiming three best-and-fairest awards, four Team of the Year nods and adjudged best afield in the 2018 WRFL grand final. The inspirational leader is capable of dominating the centre circle, the attacking half or excelling as a defender.
Andrew Browne (Keilor)
The ex-AFL big man is a decorated figure in the EDFL, rated among the competition’s best players in the past decade. Browne has returned to the 2019 premier after a stint as playing coach at his junior club Mansfield. Browne collected the Reynolds Medal for the EDFL’s best-and-fairest player in 2013, is a two-time winner of the Blues’ top individual award, grabbed the Reg Rose Medal for best on ground in the 2016 grand final and has earned four Premier Division Team of the Year nods. A genuine champion.
Tyson Young (Greenvale)
Keen to continue to test himself in the EDFL’s top flight, Young has made the move from Airport West to Greenvale after the Eagles were relegated from Premier Division at the end of 2019. The versatile 23-year-old has been rated among the leading players in Division 1 in recent years and impacts games as a forward, midfielder or defender. Young arrives at Greenvale with an impressive record, having been crowned the Hutchison medallist for the best-and-fairest player in Division 1 in 2017. He booted 103 goals – 47 in 2017 and 56 in 2018 – across two outstanding seasons in the second tier, with the Eagles contesting back-to-back grand finals.
Dean Limbach (Tullamarine)
A familiar face to EDFL watchers, Limbach is set to cause myriad headaches for Division 1 defenders if he can rediscover the form he showed in 2018, when he booted 84 goals from 18 games for Craigieburn. Limbach had a disjointed 2019 because of personal issues, playing two games for Craigieburn before crossing to Diamond Creek, where he made three appearances. The former Richmond-listed forward has been a noted goalkicker for several years.
Fabian Brancatisano (East Keilor)
A former VFL-listed player at three clubs, Brancatisano is another significant acquisition for the ambitious Cougars. The versatile Brancatisano booted 54 goals from 25 games for Western Region league club Sunshine in the 2018 and 2019 campaigns. Having featured on football program The Recruit in 2016, Brancatisano is a good user of the ball and will bring plenty of class to a star-studded East Keilor side.
Tom Baravi (Maribyrnong Park)
Baravi has returned to Maribyrnong Park after finishing runner-up in the Hutchison Medal in 2019 and will add much-needed experience for the Lions in the middle of the ground. Baravi last took the field for the Lions in 2017 before making the switch back to West Coburg for the next two years. He was set to play for Northcote Park in the Northern league in 2020 before the season was canned. The Lions say Baravi will help them cover the loss of former skipper John McKenzie.
Tamer Abdallah (Northern Saints)
It was like he never left. Having opted to join VAFA club Westbourne Grammarians in 2020, star midfielder Abdallah is back at Northern Saints in a boost. Abdallah was crowned the Saints’ best-and-fairest winner in 2018 and 2019 after returning from a stint with Westmeadows and earned back-to-back Team of the Year nods. He is also a Hutchison medallist, claiming the Division 1 league best-and-fairest in 2011 and a former club captain.
Rhys Gardener (East Sunbury)
Another player returning to the EDFL, Gardener has again linked up with East Sunbury after last representing the Division 2 club in 2016, when he claimed the best-and-fairest. Gardener enjoyed a standout season with Broadford in the RDFL in 2019. winning its best-and-fairest, finishing runner-up in the league medal and earning selection in the Team of the Year. Gardener also had a stint with top-flight Northern league club North Heidelberg and will add versatility to the Thunder’s side.
Michael Sikora (Pascoe Vale)
Sikora last took the field for Pascoe Vale in 2014 and brings ample experience having represented four state league clubs — Williamstown, Essendon, Sandringham, Frankston — and the VFL in 2013. Panthers coach Digby Morrell said Sikora was a good tap ruckman, athletic and would clear space for the side’s midfielders. Sikora has also had stints with Strathmore, Rowville and Doveton and finished equal fourth in the Eastern league’s best-and-fairest in 2017.
Saad Saad (Sunbury Kangaroos)
He’s getting on a bit, but Saad’s hunger for goals has not diminished and EDFL watchers should expect him to kick plenty this year. The prolific forward has linked up with Sunbury Kangaroos after kicking almost 900 goals for Seymour in the Goulburn Valley league and booting more than 100 majors in a season on multiple occasions. Saad’s last season was with Mallee Eagles in the Central Murray league in 2018, where he finished with 43 goals from 12 appearances. He booted 61 majors from the same number of games for Coburg Districts in EDFL Division 2 in 2016.
Zak Wunhym (Hillside)
Classy midfielder Wunhym has crossed to Hillside after featuring in Keilor’s 2019 Premier Division flag as it completed an undefeated season under Mick McGuane. Wunhym came through the Calder Cannons and also had a stint with VFL club Coburg. He enjoyed a standout 2018, earning 12 mentions in the best from 21 games and contributing 13 goals in the EDFL’s top grade. He is a clean ball user and can be expected to make a big impact in the second tier.
Raaf Rachrache (Roxburgh Park)
After Rachrache signed on in December, Magpies coach Micheal Farrelly declared: “In my time at Roxy it’s one of the biggest gets, if not the biggest get, we’ve had.” Rachrache finished fourth in the Sharks’ best-and-fairest last year and has also had stints with Hadfield, Pascoe Vale and South Morang, steering the Hawks to the EDFL Division 2 premiership in 2015 as playing coach. He booted 22 goals for Hillside in 2019 and joins Roxburgh Park as a playing assistant.
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