Peter McEvoy named Bundoora captain, Jesse King and Liam Mallia vice-captains

31 for 31: Bundoora’s reset will have a new leader with Peter McEvoy, former Coburg VFL skipper, named captain and two young guns will be under his wing.

Bundoora leaders Jesse King, Peter McEvoy and Liam Mallia.

It’s a new era at Bundoora and Peter McEvoy is excited by the challenging of shaping the next generation.

The star forward has been named Bulls captain for 2025, taking on the mantle following Luke Collins’ departure.

Young guns and future leaders Jesse King and Liam Mallia have been named vice-captains, while Brandon Compt, Isaac McMillan, Zane Barker and new recruit Ben McCarthy are in the leadership group.

The Bundoora captaincy is one of the Northern league’s most distinguished positions with long-term leaders including Collins, Brent Marshall and Brayden Shaw.

It’s not McEvoy’s first leadership position, having captained VFL club Coburg previously.

Bundoora leaders Jesse King, Peter McEvoy and Liam Mallia.

He was looking forward to the opportunity to once again mould a group of young men.

“Every time you do something you bring the experience you’ve had previously,” McEvoy said.

“It’s almost another chance to do it better again.

“As proud as you are of the work you’ve done in other leadership roles there’s always things you haven’t done or wish you’d done better – so it’s exciting to get another opportunity.

“I’m a very team focused and person focused person, so I’ll be super supportive and caring and I’ll do whatever I can to make people better.

“Coming into my third year but it’s very much part of the family for me.

“I’m a very loyal and committed kind of person, so it’s always very humbling and a huge honour when your peers and coaching group think you’re the best person to lead a very young team.”

McEvoy joined the Bulls full-time in 2023 after calling time on his VFL career after 92 games and 121 goals, as well as being named captain of the Team of the Year in 2021.

Last season he won the club goalkicking with 40 majors – earning NFNL Division 1 Team of Year honours – and finished third in the best-and-fairest.

Bundoora coach Heath Scotland has said there is a new energy and new culture building at Yulong Reserve.

Peter McEvoy in action for Bundoora. Picture: Josh Chadwick

Having experienced the highs of a grand final appearance in 2023 and the struggles of 2024, McEvoy says it’s an opportunity for the club to shape the next premiership team.

“We have been going through a transition, a lot of the people in that premiership-contending window have largely all moved on,” he said.

“When that happens it gives you the chance to reshape, rebrand and develop and get your values where you want them again.

“One of the beauties of having a young group, you’re so teachable, so mouldable whereas sometimes if you’ve got a more experienced group its challenging to do that.

“Even from a month ago, to where we are now, we’re getting so much better so quickly.”

King and Mallia loom as future leaders of the club.

The pair have been mainstays of the senior team since debuting.

McEvoy said the both brought something different to the table, which was critical to strong leadership across the club.

“You’ve got to have 23 people each other, the way we’re trying to play really required that.

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“Jesse and Liam could be captain in their own right and fully deserve it and on any given week one of us might not be there and the others will step up.

“Liam, from when he debuted two years ago to now, he’s development, his strength and leadership have exploded through the roof.

“And Jesse, I’ve probably tipped more energy and education in him more than anyone because we’ve played side-by-side, so seeing his development and leadership is improving all the time.

“We’re all different and I think that’s what makes a leadership team work, you’ve got to have different personalities in there.”

CULTURE, ENERGY SHIFT AFTER BUNDOORA RESET

There’s a new energy around Bundoora this pre-season.

The Bulls have undergone a significant “cultural shift” with a big overhaul of its list during the NFNL Division 1 off-season.

Many of the familiar faces have departed and a fresh group of young players is preparing to step up and usher in a new era under second-year coach Heath Scotland.

The likes of Joel Harris, Ben McCarthy, Lachlan Urbon, Riley Greene, Bailey Tome are exciting additions.

The return of James Sekulovski, Marc Coscarella and Tristan Mancuso is likewise a big boost.

Peter McEvoy flies for a mark. Picture: Field of View Photography

What the off-season recruiting spree has done is improve depth, something Scotland said the club battled with last season as it won just five games and finished eighth.

“Last year was disappointing but, we’ve changed the culture of the club a fair bit and we’re here to win flags,” Scotland said.

“Am I saying we’re going to win it, no, but we’re here to improve and if we get buy-in across three grades of football I confident we can do that quickly.

“If you look at our senior list, I played 40 players last year and 17 have gone, but we’ve recruited north of 20 players.

“I think our list is far more healthy than last year, I feel we bat deeper.

“Last year we were really fighting to fill the last six spots, I make no excuse for it, but our last six were basically given away and we had a lot of underperforming senior players.

“We’ve got a lot of competition for spots, they might be young but they’re hungry and eager, so we’re really happy with the drive they’re creating together.”

After stepping into a club in rebuild mode last year, Scotland has now rebuilt his squad in his mould.

Jesse King in action for Bundoora. Picture: Andy Brownbill

While the senior team struggled, it was even harder for the club’s reserves and under-19s.

The reserves went winless and were forced to forfeit one match, the under-19s competed in Division 3 but won only two games.

Scotland praised the off-field work of then president and now reserve grade coach Paul King to rebuild the club from the ground up.

“It’s been exciting because there’s big shift in the culture, big shift in the energy, a lot of new faces,” Scotland said.

“There’s a lot of young players eager to learn, our 19s have got really good numbers and it culminated with a camp up at Tatura.

“Paul did an amazing job with the 19s last year, as a club we didn’t want to be in third division but they’re flying now.

“They’re in good shape and our reserves, a lot of those 19s have come up, and with the fight for senior selection means there’s going to be some good players going down.

“We’re really happy with where the club is at after a reset.”

Such was the unsettled line-up last year, just two players – Lachlan East and Liam Mallia – played all 18 matches last season.

Peter McEvoy kicked 40 goals to lead the club’s goalkicking, earning himself Team of the Year honours alongside East.

Best-and-fairest winner East, runner-up Jackson Davies, captain Luke Collins, James Mefflin, Sam Green, Nelson Lane, Ryan Sturgess, Danny Younan and Mitch Antonello have all departed this off-season.

It will open up plenty of opportunities for fresh faces in 2025.

The likes of Mallia, McEvoy, Jesse King, Jack Briskey, Brandon Compt, Harry Butterworth and Michael Fitz-Gerald remain the backbones of the club, while John Jorgensen, Liam Kolar and Greene are on the Northern Bullants’ VFL list.

Scotland has been particularly pleased with the way the players have been pushing each other through pre-season.

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“It’s unfair to pick out one or two, the bulk of the group is driving each other,” he said.

“I can pick up the normal ones, Jesse King is flying and Liam Mallia, Ben McCarthy has been burning it up and come in as a young man and added leadership.

“Bailey Tome has dominated since coming back from a stint at the (Northern) Bullants, Joel Harris has come up from Mernda and is flying, and I’ve been really impressed with guys like Mitch Harvey and Lachie Evans.”

Bundoora will kick off its 2025 campaign at Yulong Reserve against ninth-placed Eltham on April 5 before clashes with North Heidelberg, West Preston-Lakeside and Banyule.