Outer East: Titans sign EFL and SFL talent for 2021
The AFL Outer East’s newest club has signed a host of Eastern and Southern league names including a best and fairest winner as it prepares for its first season of open-age footy.
Local Footy
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AFL Outer East’s newest club has received a significant boost ahead of its maiden open-age season in the comp with the signing of a host of ex-EFL and Southern league names.
Re-signed senior coach Rodney Benstead said the club was on track to bring in up to 15 players ahead of its Division 1 Outer East campaign in 2021, with a long line of players joining from EFL Premier outfit Rowville, Division 4 club Kilsyth and the Southern league’s Clayton.
Clayton defender in 2018 best and fairest Jordan Collins has put pen to paper at the Titans, alongside back/winger Nathan Collins and inside midfielder Jack Day, while Rowville defender Jack MacGregor and mid Daniel Ousley also make the move across.
“We knew we had a lot of work to do and we’re really big on creating a good culture, so getting these boys in from Clayton and Rowville, they’ve just got that experience and they’ve been in elite programs,” Benstead said.
Meanwhile, the club’s tall stocks will be bolstered by the inclusion of ruck/centre half-forward Dean Waterstone from Kilsyth while teammate Adam Cotela brings versatility from the EFL Division 4 outfit, with an ability to play defence or midfield.
Benstead said an emphasis on character played a key role in the club’s recruiting approach this off-season while the added experience and depth would create competition for spots.
“I know this might be a bit of a cliché, but we’re bringing in really good people – it’s not just about how well they play football, we want to bring really good characters into our club … we’ve got the young players and we want to have that culture to develop them in,” he said.
“We’ve placed a real emphasis on mateship and sacrifice in the new club and we think that will create a really strong bond and the players that are going to play are going to want to be there.
“We’ve been really happy with the players we’ve brought in and we’ll still be talking to another five or six we’re really keen to get.
“We’re shaping up as probably bringing in 15 new players in that have all got really good backgrounds, it puts pressure on positions and creates a really competitive environment.”
While coronavirus put the club’s first season of open-age footy on hold, Benstead believes it is set to benefit from the transition of its underage players into the senior ranks next year.
“We want to use the best practices, we don’t want to put kids in before they’re ready but if we think kids are up for it ... when they’re ready I’d prefer them to play senior footy but we’ll have a really good process in place,” he said.
“Even the last batch of under-18s, I think there’s four or five if they work really hard over pre-season are going to be right in the mix, which is really exciting for the club.”