EFL 2019: Sam Rowe joins Doncaster East
Doncaster East’s plans for its maiden campaign in EFL Premier Division have received a boost after the signing of 100-game AFL defender Sam Rowe.
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Sam Rowe will return to Doncaster East to honour the contract he signed before St Kilda offered him an AFL lifeline.
The EFL Division 1 premiers announced on Thursday that Rowe would join the Lions in 2020.
The 100-game AFL defender had signed with Doncaster East in December last year before joining St Kilda through the pre-season supplementary selection period.
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Rowe, 31, played 99 games at Carlton and his only game for the Saints came in Round 23.
He was delisted in August.
Doncaster East coach Steve Buckle said the club was confident Rowe would return to the club.
“We knew that was on the cards halfway through the year,” Buckle said.
“He gave us his word that when he went to St Kilda that if things didn’t work out that he would come back.
“True to his word, he has come back.”
Rowe will join former Carlton teammates Brock McLean and Simon White at Zerbes Reserve as Doncaster East prepares for promotion to Premier Division for the first time in the club’s history.
The Lions have won the previous two second-tier grand finals and have featured in four of the previous five deciders.
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They were not promoted at the end of 2018 as a result of the league restructure.
Buckle said Rowe would play a role at either end of the ground.
He said the Lions had retained its premiership-winning squad and were “still working away on a couple” signings.
“He was such a quality human when he came down and the short time he was with us, he really got involved,” he said.
“I think Whitey might be trying to talk him into playing down back … with the forwards we might be coming up against next year.
“He might be needed down back a little bit more than what he is forward.”
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