Accomplished Gaelic football forward Dylan Ward has landed at a SFNL club

A Southern league club has landed a title-winning Gaelic football player for season 2025. Here are the details.

Dylan Ward celebrates a Kilcoo title win. Picture: @MagpieWard/X

It’ll be a different type of pre-season for Port Melbourne Colts’ latest recruit.

Dylan Ward, a credentialed Gaelic player, is about to play a season in his favoured code back home in Ireland.

Once the season finishes in January, he will fly to Melbourne to pull on the Colts’ jumper for their 2025 Southern league campaign.

Ward won’t be a stranger to the competition, having featured for St Kilda City five times at the back end of 2023.

He has a tidy resume at Kilcoo Gaelic Association Club highlighted by a last-minute goal which helped the Magpies reclaim their county title in 2019.

Colts assistant coach Ben Burke says Ward will bring “absolutely elite” fitness to the side.

“We had a chat to another Irish lad and he just mentioned his (Ward) name, we caught up, had a meeting and he was a great lad,” Burke said.

“His fitness will be absolutely elite, he’s coming back after his season at the end of Jan so he will be super fit.

Ward playing for Kilcoo. Picture: Supplied

“We might run him as a high half forward through the middle, he’s quick and versatile like a Gaelic footballer is.

“He’s played in the All-Ireland stuff, it’s a good level over there, there’s not a heap of his highlights online but from what I have seen he works really hard.

“I think he’s going to fit in well with our group.”

Ward joins recruits Robbie McComb, Rory Lehmann, Tom Smith and Tyler Bell at the Colts.

Burke said the club was “super happy” with the recruits it had signed.

“We’ve done well with the guys we have recruited this year, we’re super happy with where we’re at at the moment,” he said.

The Colts collected eight wins in 2024 to finish seventh.

PORT MELBOURNE COLTS

IN: Robbie McComb (Port Melbourne VFL), Tyler Bell (St Albans), Tom Smith (Surfers Paradise), Rory Lehmann (Coorong Cats), Dylan Ward (Kilcoo GAC)

OUT: Josh Caddy (St Arnaud)