EFL: Park Orchards waves goodbye to premiership stars Jarrod Bayliss and Michael Fowkes

Park Orchards is hoping to unveil a package of recruits as it looks to cover the loss of two premiership stars.

Michael Fowkes flies for a mark for Park Orchards. Picture: Mark Dadswell

PARK Orchards is hoping to unveil a package of recruits as it looks to cover the loss of two premiership stars.

The Sharks have bid farewell to premiership coach Jarrod Bayliss and key forward Michael Fowkes, who also played in the 2017 Division 3 grand final triumph, in recent weeks.

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Bayliss has joined Premier division powerhouse Vermont, while Fowkes has returned to Wandin.

Former Gold Coast and Carlton big man Daniel Gorringe has also signed with Wandin but a clearance from the Sharks has been denied twice.

Jarrod Bayliss (right) took Park Orchards to its first senior premiership in 2017. Picture: Davis Harrigan

Park Orchards coach Dennis Armfield said Bayliss wanted to test himself at a higher level.

“His words were that he’s done his footy for others and now he wanted to do his footy for himself,” Armfield said.

“He’s got a short amount of time left he reckons. I support him if that’s what he wants to do (but) it is disappointing because any club in Division 1 wants to strive to get to Premier.

“Of course we would have liked him to stay and be part of it because what he’s done for the club’s been pretty powerful.”

Fowkes returned 41 goals from 28 games in two seasons at Domeney Reserve but has opted to return to Wandin, where he was an integral part of the Bulldogs’ success.

“I just got a phone call from Fowkesy saying, ‘look, mate, I just wanted to let you know that I’ll be going to Wandin’,” Armfield said.

“For me, it was like, ‘OK, no worries’. I wish we could have kept him … but he’s got his off-field things.

“He’s got to be happy with his decision and if this is the decision he finds best for him, well that’s the decision he finds best.

“I’ll focus on the boys that are the fit and want to invest and want to be there.

“We’ve had a few sessions now and we’ve been getting up to around 50 people down at training so I’ll invest my time in the 50 people that are down there.”

Armfield said the club would release its signings “in due time”.

“We’ve still got a few things up our sleeve at the moment we’re looking to tidy up and get out there,” he said.

“We’ve got some good recruits coming in we think will add some value to our team.

“We’ve got a great base that we’ve always had. We’ve got the under-19s that won the grand final this year — we’ve got about eight or nine of them coming up that could probably step into our senior team pretty quickly.

“We’ve got a lot of good, dedicators players that are keen to get the ball rolling.”

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