EFNL 2022: How gun recruits will fire Kilsyth’s 2023 campaign

The Eastern league Division 4 club has hit the recruiting market with some key signings set to lift it next season ...

Eastern league Division 4 club Kilsyth hasn’t sought a haul of recruits, but senior coach Simon Caldwell is confident his latest signings can help bridge the gap on rivals.

The Cougars broke through for their first finals appearance since 2015 this season, finishing fourth on the ladder before a first-week exit at the hands of Chirnside Park.

But they’ve recently added Lilydale pair Ryan McNay and Brandon Droessler from the league’s Division 1 competition, in a move Caldwell believes will set his side for another finals tilt.

Brandon Droessler in action for Lilydale. Picture: Davis Harrigan

Strong-bodied midfielder McNay, 25, lands at Pinks Reserve with a rich family history – his father, Gavin, is a five-time club champion and an Eastern league legend, having won three senior competition best and fairest awards. He captained the club’s last senior premiership in 1995.

Ryan McNay finished top-five in Lilydale’s best and fairest in his past five seasons, and played 14 senior matches this season for nine mentions in the best.

Caldwell says he’ll bring much-needed experience to the emerging midfield.

“To get someone of his calibre whose played 100-odd senior games at that level is a big plus for us,” Caldwell said.

“I wouldn’t say it (the midfield) was our weakness point, but we were playing all 20-year-olds in there, second-year senior players, apart from one older bloke going through there, Cam McArthur going through there.

“He’ll probably now go out to a flank or forward and let a couple of the new blokes roll through there.

“In fourth division, the simplest way to put it is if you’re getting one or two goals a quarter more because of our midfield and stopping them going the other way, that’s eight goals a game.”

Meanwhile, 26-year-old Droessler spent the past four seasons at Lilydale, with the tall utility filling the centre half-back role while also switching into a forward or ruck role.

He’s won three flags with Kew in the VAFA and had stints with Casey and the Northern Blues in the VFL, and Vermont in 2017 before featuring in Lilydale’s 2018 Division 1 grand final side.

Caldwell touted Droessler’s signing as a “massive bonus”.

“He’s played some higher level footy when he was younger … but he’s only 26, a hell of a lot of experience and can play anywhere,” he said.

“That one was a really lucky one who’s come because he’s a mate of Ryan’s.”

Bayswater ruckman Jaycob Devir has also crossed from the Division 1 club in pursuit of senior opportunities, in a move set to grant Luke Hoogstra a reprieve after shouldering most of the ruck duties this season.

The coach is confident of retaining most of the senior list which took it to an 8-8 record this year, but there could be more key signatures on the horizon.

“We’re targeting three or four that we think we really need and keeping the Kilsyth people there,” Caldwell said.

“When I came back (as coach), we said we wanted to play the kids for a year or two and give them time to build, not go out and get 20 blokes.

“We think we’ve done that – last year we recruited one or two, this year will be three or four – we think we’ve got the right balance.

“The expectation is to play finals (and) we’re confident we’re on the right track as a club.”