North Heidelberg targets former players in 2022 recruiting drive
A pair of premiership players and inter-league stars are among the favourite sons returning to North Heidelberg in 2022.
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There’s some familiar faces at North Heidelberg pre-season training.
The Bulldogs’ off-season recruiting drive has been largely focused on regaining former players, boosting the NFL Division 1 club’s depth without incurring points penalties.
The likes of Jhye Baddeley-Kelly (Epping), Nick Matthews (Port Douglas), Nick O’Neill (Woorinen) Jake Brown (AFL Sydney), Josh Doherty (Old Paradians) and Rhys Gardener (East Sunbury) have all returned for 2022.
North Heidelberg coach Jason Heatley said the club had never lost contact with their former players.
“We had a scenario a few years back where a number of players decided to look outside the square for a number of reasons,” he said.
“You never lose connection, we knew we had to keep developing our list, but we’ve looked to get good people back to the club.
“We’ve been lucky enough to that, which will hold us in good stead from a depth perspective but also senior players to help develop our young guys as well.”
Brown and Matthews played in the Bulldogs’ 2016 Division 2 premiership and return from stints interstate.
Matthews and Baddeley-Kelly were also key members of the Northern Football League’s representative side that claimed the No. 1 ranking in 2019.
O’Neill won a Central Murray premiership with Woorinen in 2019 and Gardener finished runner-up in the Riddell District Bowen Medal the same year while with Broadford.
“Nick Matthews, or Bear as he’s affectionately known, he’s the mainstay of our backline,” Heatley said.
“He’ll get the big job every week and that lets us use Ryan McGhie, Jake McSwain and Mitch Dillon in different roles.
“We see this as one of the most important signings back to the club.
“Jake’s played at North Heidelberg for a number of years.
“He went away to explore opportunities from a work perspective with the notion that he was always going to come back to the kennel and we’re really pleased to have him back.”
Baddeley-Kelly is VFL listed at Coburg and was named in the Division 2 Team of the Year in 2021 after a stellar campaign for Epping.
“Jhye’s a quality player and quality individual,” Heatley said.
“His commitments at Coburg are still really important for him and ourselves, so supporting him there is paramount.
“I think from a role perspective, that will come from Coburg and how they want to use him and how they see his development.
“If we need to support him along the way, whether it’s around the footy, down back or in attack, that’s one of the strengths of JBK is he’s a three-zone player.”
North Heidelberg has also recruited strongly outside the club.
Brock Chircop (Craigieburn), Nathan Johnson (Werribee Centrals) and former Northern Knights tall Zach Reichert (Hurstbridge) have all signed on.
Chircop won an EDFL Division 1 premiership with the Eagles in 2019 and finished third in the club best-and-fairest.
“He’s a little ripper, Brock, he’s a footy nut,” Heatley said.
“When he gets involved at training, his work ethic is at a high level, and I think we have so much more growth to get out of him.
“He’s been used as a small forward predominantly but we’re going to expose him to other roles and he has one of those vital assets, which is speed.”
North finished fifth last season and is expected to vie for finals again in 2022.
After blooding several under-19s in 2021 Heatley believes the club’s depth has improved significantly and didn’t rule out further signings.
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“We were playing four to six under-19 boys a week last year and that exposure can be brutal but it’s seen them develop,” he said.
“We’ve got some key experience around them so we think our balance – our mix – will be a lot more competitive for longer this year.
“We’re still waiting for VFL lists to be settled, who knows what the expectations are moving forward.
North Heidelberg has scheduled two practice matches in March against Eastern powerhouse Vermont and NFL Division 2 club Eltham.
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