How Diggers Rest is preparing for Riddell District premiership defence

Diggers Rest premiership coach Jamie Lobb says the club has room to bring in a couple of strong recruits as it embarks on its RDFNL flag defence.

Luke Delahey in action for Diggers Rest. Picture: Aaron Cook

You lose a few, you gain a few.

Diggers Rest has lost four premiership players ahead of its RDFNL title defence in 2024.

However, the Burras have regained a Team of the Year gun and coach Jamie Lobb has revealed the club room to bring in up to three top players over the summer.

McIntyre Medallist Jaycob Hickey, and brother Lachlan, have headed back to Melton, while veterans Matt Krul and Cole Laurie have retired.

Positively, Luke Delahey has returned from Perth Football League club North Beach.

Jamie Lobb and Mitch Jensen lift the RDFNL premiership cup. Picture: Aaron Cook

The club’s depth will also be boosted by the return of an under-19s side in 2024.

Lobb said the club was just quietly going about its business.

“We’re trying to fly under the radar, all the hype’s been about Riddell and Kyneton and a few other teams,” he said.

“We’ve been back in training for a couple of weeks, we’ve had some good numbers of the track.

“We’ve lost a few but got a few coming back.

“We’re probably sitting about five or six out and four back in at the moment with room for maybe three good players to come in with the points we’ve got.

“We’ve still got plenty of points to try and fill the last few spots but we’re being particularly with who we bring in.”

Along with the return of Delahey, Lobb also pointed to the return of Justin Tenaglia and Matt Webber who missed the flag through injury as well as Mitch Brockwell, who was forced out on points.

Diggers completed the senior-reserve grade premiership double this season, pointing towards a strong senior set-up.

The Burras knocked over Woodend-Hesket by 43 points in the seniors and Wallan by 33 points in the reserves.

However, Lobb said the Burras had made it a focus in the off-season to rejuvenate the club’s pathway.

It fielded an under-19.5s team in the cancelled 2021 season but hadn’t got a side up for the past two years.

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“We’re getting our under-19s side back next year, so there’s been a lot of young guys on the track, which is good,” he said.

“Then you add some kids coming over as well, a couple coming down from Keilor and a couple from Aberfeldie.

“We’ll look to push some games into those guys, it’s the right time for us because we need to get those 18, 19-year-olds coming through our system because we haven’t had them coming up.

“They age out of the 18s down in that league because it’s 18.5s, so they’ve got the options of 19s, reserves or playing senior footy with us.”