East Malvern locks in Shepparton Swans star
The Panthers have picked up 2019 Swans club champion Tom Preece, as well as two other club best and fairests, as they build towards 2021.
Southern
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What would a pre-season in the Southern league be without East Malvern making a key country signing?
For a long time the Panthers have been the city link for players from the bush, and last night they added two more to their books: Tom Preece and Adrian Crawford.
Both have excellent credentials.
Preece is from Shepparton Swans in the strong Goulburn Valley league and won its best and fairest in 2019.
The midfielder also represented the league.
“Tom’s living in the city, he’s a schoolteacher and he wasn’t keen to travel any more,’’ East Malvern official Scott Kirkwood said.
Crawford, a wingman with skill to spend, is a best and fairest at South Bendigo and Shepparton.
More recently he played at Taylors Lakes, finishing third in club voting in 2019.
East Malvern has a string of players from Shepparton, including onballer Paul Fry, who joined the club in 2019 and quickly made his name as one of the best players in Southern.
North Footscray’s Reece Duffield is a more local recruit.
The ruckman won North’s best and fairest in 2018, when he was also selected in the Western Region Division 2 team of the year.
With champion Chris Carey recommitting, Duffield’s arrival will give the Panthers the best ruck combination in Southern.
They have also re-signed team leadership-group players Nick Barry, Paul Fry, Lucas Hall, Mackenzie Bristow and Luke Poustie, as well as senior coach Brent Chapman.
In another lifter, veteran defender Marc Lonergan is expected to return after saying he would sit out 2020.
It’s unclear if Carey will have another dash at the VFL. He signed with Sandringham for 2020 but proposed new list requirements will put the squeeze on for players over the age of 23.
Key forward Bristow, the son of former Footscray ruckman Neil Bristow, is attracting interest from VFL clubs.
East had locked in Hayden Pyke (Kangaroo Flat), Riley Turner (Longford, Tasmania), Hayden Chrzanowski (Uni-Mowbray, Tasmania), Brok Davidson (Leongatha) and Matthew Tighello (Oakleigh Chargers) for the 2020 season that never went ahead, and all are on deck for next season.
The Panthers have fingers crossed they will regain class act Luke Duffy, who had a knee reconstruction after going down early in 2019.
They’re also hopeful of getting back Ed Sim, who left after the 2017 season.
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