Old Geelong sign ex-VFL players Nick Dixon, Tim Jones, Harrison Kol
Old Geelong have gone on a recruiting spree ahead of the VAFA season as they set their sights on a promotion to A-grade for the first time in club history.
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After winning its preliminary final by a point last season to earn promotion into VAFA’s Premier B competition, Old Geelong have stocked its list with six new players and a coach as they look to become a top tier club in years to come.
The club, which were established in 1954, have signed former Geelong and Essendon VFL player Nick Dixon as their playing co-senior coach who will join current senior coach Nathan Brown for season 2023.
Dixon, a 26-year-old inside midfielder, arrives at the club following a successful stint as player-coach at GFL’s North Shore where he steered the club back up the ladder after arriving when the seniors hadn’t won a game in three seasons.
Dixon’s older brother Scott who has been at Old Geelong since 2017 and captained the club from 2019 to 2021 will also join the coaching panel this season as a senior assistant.
The brothers are set to reunite as players on the football field for the first time in 10 years after they last played together in Scott’s final game of school football at Geelong Grammar.
In further recruiting news, the club have picked up ex-Carlton and Northern Bullants VFL inside midfielder Tim Jones who will arrive at Como Park where a number of fellow Tasmanian born players reside for their local football.
Former Geelong VFL midfielder-forward Harrison Kol has also been signed following a premiership-winning campaign with St Mary’s last season in the GFL.
The signing of Kol was helped by the fact he lived with around the corner from Como Park with new coach Nick Dixon.
Old Geelong have also gained former St Kevin’s A-grade premiership player Sam Barnett who will reunite with friends at the club upon returning to Melbourne after spending a few years interstate in Queensland.
Former Deer Park and Western Jets footballer Michael Nicolls will also return to the senior side this season after recovering from a long term injury.
Nicholls played in the club’s senior team in 2019 before he suffered a serious injury which led to the 24-year-old to switch his focus to coaching the club’s U23 side for two seasons while recovering.
Dixon said he was impressed with the pre-season of Nicholls so far.
“I remember watching him when they were last in B-grade in 2019 and they didn’t really have a ruckman so they had him in the ruck,” he said.
“And for him to fight every week undersized, I was so impressed with the way he went about it.
“Even his pre-season to date, he has almost been the our best trainer.
“His competitiveness and his willingness to give his all every time, at times I have had to hold him back from doing too much so his body doesn’t let him down.
“But I’m really excited about what he can do this year.
“He is a really good athlete for his size so he can almost play a lot of positions on the ground and just having a personality like him around the group as well has been really positive so far.
“I expect him to have a really good year and it‘s all about managing his body and making sure he can play the whole year.”
The club have also secured current Werribee VFL forward Hudson Garoni who will play in the VAFA when available outside of the state league.
Old Geelong’s new co-senior coach Dixon was pleased with the signings ahead of the season as they strive for promotion into VAFA’s premier section for the first time in history.
“We have got pretty high expectations,” Dixon said.
“We are pretty bullish on how we are going to go this year.
“We have been able to recruit really well and bring some real A-graders to the club that maybe the club haven’t had in their history.
“So we have always had great depth, a lot of numbers on the track but maybe unable to attract those real top end talents.
“We have been able to do it this year with the aim that we want to be a really good Prem B side and in the long term, we want to be an A-grade club.
“We are only hopefully one good season away whether that’s this year or in the coming years, we’re only one good season away from being a Prem A club.”
Dixon said he was looking to boost the club’s on-field standards.
“We are looking to make it a bit more professional and set higher standards,” he said.
“We think that with Geelong Grammar and Geelong College as our feeder clubs that we can be a really strong A-grade club into the future and hopefully we are able to get all those schoolboys coming to us.”
Old Geelong will take on Beaumaris in round 1 on April 15 at Como Park.
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