Former top-10 draft pick Liam Sumner to play in the Southern league

EX-Greater Western Sydney and Carlton forward Liam Sumner has signed to play in the Southern Football Netball League in 2019.

FORMER Greater Western Sydney and Carlton forward Liam Sumner will be keeping Southern league backmen busy in 2019.

Sumner has signed at Division 1 club East Malvern, where his future brother-in-law Nathan Robinson is senior coach.

The pacy right-footer was the No 10 selection in the 2011 national draft, joining the Giants from Sandringham Dragons.

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Sumner made his debut in his first season with GWS but was traded to Carlton at the end of 2015.

His two years with the Blues produced 20 AFL games, taking his tally to 32.

The 25-year-old played for St Bedes Mentone Tigers in VAFA Premier this year.

Liam Sumner (right) was in the top 10 in the AFL draft in 2011, alongside (L-R) Jonathon Patton, Stephen Coniglio, Dom Tyson, Will Hoskin-Elliott, Matt Buntine, Chad Wingard, Nick Haynes, Billy Longer and Adam Tomlinson.

Robinson said the club was thrilled to land a player of Sumner’s credentials and class.

“To get a guy on board with AFL experience, that’s pretty big for us,’’ he said.

“Obviously the family ties are there (Robinson marries Sumner’s sister Stacey next month) and it’s probably been in the wings for 12 months. I tried to get him last year but he wanted to give some respect to his school and go back to St Bedes for a year.

“He had an injury-interrupted year there — unfortunately for most of his senior career he hasn’t been able to get a good run at it on the park — but there were a few games when he tore it to shreds.

“He’s super keen to have a good year and tear the comp apart.’’

East Malvern has made two other good signings, picking up former Tasmanian onballer Aaron French and Hastings wingman Nathan Gray.

Aaron French takes a kick for Clarence.

French played a lot of football for Clarence, including its 2009-10 Tasmanian State League flags.

After a stint in WA he joined Mooroopna in the Goulburn Valley league this year.

Gray figured in the 2016 Hastings premiership team and in the same year was runner-up in the best and fairest.

Robinson said the club had anticipated the great Ryan Mullett’s return to Vermont and had recruited running players to make up for his departure.

“Aaron’s similar to Ryan, a super-fit sort of guy who prepares well and brings a professional attitude to the club,’’ he said.

The pacy Gray is a former East Malvern junior and is therefore a one-point player, handy for a club that struck problems with the points cap this year.

Robinson said retention had been a focus for East, which rose to the Division 1 grand final this year.

“Most of the players have re-signed and we’ll hopefully do the others next week,’’ he said.

“The guys want to go another year and gel more as a group and build on what we had. We had a pretty special year but we didn’t get the job done. Next year there will be a lot of expectation, internally and externally, and I think the guys are going to soak it up.’’