SFNL: Black Rock has signed a quartet of recruits and formed a new layer to its growing program

Black Rock has signed a quartet of recruits, headlined by a goal kicking machine, and added a new spin to its growing sporting program.

VAFA Division 1 footy: Oakleigh v Glen Eira. Oakleigh player Aaron Cloke. Picture: Valeriu Campan

 

Black Rock has been busy.

The Jets have welcomed a quartet of recruits — headlined by goal kicking star Aaron Cloke — and added a new spin to their growing program.

Cloke played just one game in 2024 but fired 83 goals in 19 matches for Oakleigh Amateurs the year before.

Cloke, who kicked over 100 goals in 2013 and 2018, is a “huge” signing for the Southern league club.

“Guys who have kicked 100 goals in a season on multiple occasions don’t grow on trees,” Jets president Andrew Ferguson said.

“I think it’s good for the profile of the club and he’s brought a couple of mates with him too which immediately adds three senior players to the mix.

“Where we were at the start of 2024, we had key position players but we sort of lost that through the middle of the year.

“We had some wins towards the back end of the year which is positive, so I guess the focus over the off-season was to bring in those key position players and good ball users.”

Aaron Cloke celebrates a goal. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Cloke has brought Andrew Mase and Caleb Qumivutia with him from Oakleigh while new coach Matt Huber’s son Luke has also crossed from Hawthorn Amateur.

Ferguson said Huber had “been a breath of fresh air” in his short time as senior coach.

“He’s (Huber) put time into building the entire club with that focus we have got on young, local players,” he said.

“I think the acquisition of our new footy director Brad Jamison, who has come from Monash Blues and Melton before that, he’s been amazing.

“We’ve brought some really high quality people into our club that will guide us into our future.

“Brad has been working on our first under-19s program, I think it’s the first time in multiple decades we’ve had a side.”

Black Rock’s basketball kit.

The Jets have had one eye on their future with its junior football club building each year.

They’ve taken another step in that bid, forming a Black Rock Jets basketball program which will be run under the same banner as the football-netball club.

Ferguson said there “was an appetite from our parents” to be in the red and black year round.

“We’re going to have multiple teams running around with the Black Rock Jets kit on,” he said.

“A lot of the kids already play basketball and are walking around in Beaumaris Sharks or Sandringham Bullets tops.

“There was an appetite from our parents and we thought ‘why not get them in a Black Rock kit all year’.

“Parents are going to be able to pay one registration for multiple sports and it’s just getting our name out there in the community.”