Nine new and returning faces arrive at West Coburg for 2023 EDFL season

West Coburg has left no stone unturned in its bid to go one better in 2023 with nine recruits as two prepare to become focal points in front of goal.

If you’re a West Coburg supporter it’s probably likely you know most of the club’s 2023 recruits.

Of the nine recruits signed by the Essendon District league club in 2023, seven are former players.

They include Ruairi and Dinny Cleary (Avondale Heights), Tom Baravi and Jonah Horo (Maribyrnong Park), Ibrahim Taha (Airport West), Omar Saad and Ben Drummond (Westmeadows).

Seeing the Burgers fall narrowly short of the Division 1 premiership, and promotion to the top tier, is one of the reasons they’ve returned to the club according to coach Dale May.

“Homegrown players and those one-pointers are the keys to winning premierships,” he said.

“Our aim over the break was to bring back guys who have played here before and add to the quality we’ve already got.

“I think these guys seeing what we achieved last year made them want to come back and help us achieve success. You look at how the big, successful clubs do it.

“I played at Strathmore for 15 years and they were always big on bringing their own through.”

West Coburg has unveiled a major haul of recruits for 2023. Photo: Facebook.

Joining them at Shore Reserve will be Rocca brothers, Jake and Liam, who cross from Premier Division club Greenvale.

Jake won’t be seen until the second half of the 2023 season as he continues to recover from a serious knee injury.

But when he does take to the field it will be a reunion of sorts with his new coach.

“I coached Jake back in the under-17s and I rate him highly as a player so we’re looking forward to seeing him play when he is available,” May said.

“Jake will play mainly across halfback and is a really nice user of the ball.”

Lynden Dunn’s departure to coach the Caulfield Bears in the Southern league means May’s forward line will have a different look in 2023.

The returning pair of Ibrahim Taha, who played at Airport West in 2022, and Omar Saad, who kicked 56 goals for Westmeadows last season are expected to play key roles.

“I’d like to say we’d have an unpredictable forward line,” he said.

“I looked back at what Airport West did to win a premiership and they had winners all over the ground, their unpredictability was difficult to match up on sometimes.

“It was a good lesson for us to take away.”

West Coburg faces competition newcomers Deer Park in the opening game of the season on April 15.