Ex-St Kilda rookie Jack Bell joins VFL club Casey Demons

Bell’s on: the Demons have added to their ruck stocks in preparation for the 2021 VFL season.

Jack Bell on the go for Sandy Dragons.

Casey Demons needed a ruckman.

Late in the recruiting period, they’ve landed one.

The club last night secured 2020 St Kilda rookie Jack Bell, a Victorian Metro representative in 2019.

Casey list manager Todd Patterson said the former Sandringham Dragon was a good prospect and the Demons were pleased to sign him.

Bell had been training with Sandringham since his delisting from St Kilda.

“We’d been talking to a number of (player) managers and seeing who had rucks available and hadn’t landed anywhere,’’ Patterson said.

“We were looking for someone to develop and invest in, and that’s when Jack’s name popped up.

“We thought he may have already committed somewhere but that wasn’t the case, so we were able to get in front of him and hopefully we’ll be able to provide him with plenty of opportunities in the ruck and up forward at Casey, given our list profile. We were probably a little bit skinny, a bit light on, with our rucks.’’

Jack Bell (right) on the training track with the Saints.

Bell will link with former Sandy Dragons teammate Andrew Courtney, who signed with Casey for the 2020 season that never got off the ground.

They’d shared the ruck duties in the NAB League in 2019.

Casey can expect to see a third developing big man in Melbourne’s Austin Bradke

While Courtney was overlooked in the 2019 drafts, Bell, 202cm, went at No 5 in the rookie draft.

The Saints noted he had a “remarkable vertical leap’’ and “all the attributes to become a fully-fledged ruckman in the coming years’’.

“Although still raw from a footballing perspective, the rookie pick-up has massive upside through his knack for reeling in marks all over the ground and ability to swing forward as a tall target.’’

Patterson tracked Bell in the NAB League.

“We watched him playing Vic Metro and at Sandy. I think he averaged a goal a game for Sandy. His tackles numbers were pretty solid for a ruck. He definitely had something, and it wasn’t a surprise his name got read out,’’ he said.

“Really happy to add him to a group of 10 to 12 players from that draft pool … hopefully we’ll get some kids get picked up from Casey this year.’’

Bell trained at Casey last night.

The Demons have also signed former Dandenong Stingrays onballer Luca Goonan.

Goonan was fifth in the Rays’ 2019 best and fairest, behind Hayden Young, Jack Toner, Ned Cahill and Clayton Gay.

He played a few matches in the NTFL before Christmas.

Kyle Stainthorpe, who has been with Casey since 2018, re-signed last night.