EFNL 2025: Bulleen Templestowe signs Balwyn premiership midfielder Jake Sticca

The Eastern league’s newest club has welcomed back a dynamic midfielder fresh off a premiership with powerhouse Balwyn. But he’s not the only key inclusion ...

EFNL 2025: Jake Sticca won a premiership with Balwyn last year. Picture: Davis Harrigan

A Balwyn premiership midfielder is the latest signing at the Eastern league’s newest club as it readies for its maiden campaign.

Jake Sticca has returned to Bulleen Templestowe following a Premier Division flag with the Tigers in 2024.

The former Bullants junior played 30 senior matches for Balwyn across a four-year stretch – including 15 last season.

A strong family connection lured the crafty goalsneak back to Ted Ajani Reserve, ahead of the club’s debut season in Eastern’s Division 4 following a move from the VAFA.

“Jake’s my nephew and his younger brother (Lachie) plays at Bulleen Temp,” Bulleen Templestowe senior coach Andrew Verga said.

“He’s played all his junior footy down there and he knows all the boys, so he was pretty keen to help build something special hopefully.

“He’s only a few years older than most of our line-up, we’re a pretty young side.

“But I think it’s going to be a team effort – not just about one player.”

Sticca is joined by ex-Balwyn and Whitehorse key forward Tommy Davis and emerging ruckman Ben Ellery, who crosses from Northern club Eltham.

“We’re looking pretty good, I think,” Verga said.

“With a young group we’re looking for Tommy to be a bit of a leader for us and to help us grow – he gives us a bit of size.”

Bulleen Templestowe arrives in the Eastern league following five decades in the VAFA.

The coach said there was a renewed optimism and enthusiasm at the club after a lean 2024 which netted just four wins in Division 2 – the VAFA’s fifth tier.

But Verga, who coached the club to an under-19s flag in 2022, won’t be declaring any “outlandish expectations”.

“The whole club’s got a bit of a lift … we’ve had a complete rebuild, we won the under-19s flag (in 2022) and we’ve managed to push most of our under-19s through our senior program,” he said.

“We’re building a family culture where people can be themselves and improve on and off the field.

“We’ll be competitive – that’s what we’re hoping for … and build a good brand of footy.

“We’re a young side, so we don’t have any outlandish expectations … whatever will be, will be, I think.”

Bulleen Templestowe opens its season at home to Warrandyte on April 5.