Mernda secured one of local footy’s most decorated players for 2022
A triple league best-and-fairest winner and one of local footy’s most decorated players will bolster Mernda’s NFL Division 2 finals hopes.
Northern
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Mernda has secured one of local footy’s most decorated players is a recruiting coup.
Ryan Bongetti will reunite with Demons coach Rob Fletcher in 2022, a significant boost to the club’s NFL Division 2 finals hopes.
Bongetti is a three-time league best-and-fairest winner, two-time grand final best-on-ground medallist, EDFL Team of the Year player and was named in Finley’s Team of the Decade.
He last played in 2019 for Craigieburn, missing the Eagles’ EDFL Division 1 premiership due to injury, before taking time off due to COVID.
Fletcher had no doubt he was ready to go.
“He’s a very handy pick-up, he’s got a lot of experience and he can play footy,” he said.
“He’s fit as anything, he looks after the body pretty well, he’s done all the pre-season, so we’re looking forward to seeing Bongo play.
“He gave it away for the last year and a bit because of COVID but I gave him a call, he had a think about it, and he’s been training.”
Bongetti won the Le Brocq Medal as the Diamond Valley Division 1 best-and-fairest in 2005 while with South Morang and won back-to-back O’Dwyer Medals in the Murray league with Cobram.
It is by far the biggest recruiting coup in Division 3.
He’ll be a valuable asset alongside the Demons youngsters.
Josh Mazzarella finished third in the Division 3 best-and-fairest count and was named in the Team of the Year alongside teammate Will Crouch.
Meanwhile, Josh Coe, Aaron Colliss, Chris Roussos, Riley Edwards, Tanar Pierce, Riley Vincent and Tom McMahon all showed promising glimpses in the shortened 2021.
The Demons won just four games last season after looking like finals contenders.
An uninterrupted pre-season should help the club jell following a heavy recruiting campaign before the 2021 season.
Mernda has locked in four pre-season practice matches to ensure it is ready for Round 1 clash against premiership favourite South Morang.
The Demons will face NFL Division 2 clubs Fitzroy Stars and Epping as well as EDFL outfits Oak Park and Northern Saints.
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They will also have a pre-season camp this weekend.
“We’ve got a camp this week, so looking forward to that,” Fletcher said.
“One of the boys, Danny Whittaker, has 20 acres so we’re just camping there and we’ve got an army bloke, who’s done all our running and fitness, he’ll do the camp.
“Then we’ve got a player review, they’ve all got to do an act each, so that will be a bit of fun … I’ve got to do an act as well.”
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