Shannen Lange returns to Gippsland league club Sale

The Magpies ‘nearly fell over backwards’ when they learned their former junior Shannen Lange was a chance to come back to the club.

Shannen Lange (right) celebrates a goal for Port Melbourne in 2019.

He’s coming home.

Gippsland league club Sale has regained its former junior and Port Melbourne VFL premiership player Shannen Lange.

The 27-year-old has been cleared from Melton South, where he and a number of other former Port players signed for the 2020 season that never heard a starting siren.

Lange will serve as an assistant to new Sale coach Jack Johnstone, lured from the Magpies’ great rival Maffra.

Right-footer Lange made his senior debut for Sale while still playing Under 16 football in 2010. It was against Maffra, and he booted a goal.

He went on to Gippsland Power, finishing runner-up in a best and fairest, and then on to Bendigo Gold in the VFL in 2013.

Shannen Lange on the burst for Port in 2014.

Promising with the Gold, he was often injured but, after getting his body right, regularly brilliant at Port; after a best-on-ground effort against Williamstown, Borough coach Gary Ayres declared: “It was one of the best games I’ve seen from a player, and one of the best I’ve seen in a long, long time.’’

Lange played in Port’s 2017 premiership, had more than 100 VFL games and was in the 2019 VFL team of the year.

Sale president Simon Turnbull said the club was delighted to have Lange return and help Johnstone lead the Magpies.

“He’s great mates with Jack, and that’s where the first conversation came about,’’ he said.

“We’d had a chat to Shannen every year, to see how he was going and what he was doing, and he was always keen to play VFL and had those ambitions of trying to make it to the higher level.

“This year when we spoke to Jack, we’d already spoken to Shannen, and Jack sort of said that Shannen was gettable, and we nearly fell over backwards.

“He thought it was time to look at a career instead of solely football, so it all revolved around getting him a good job.’’

The Magpies did, setting him up with GBG Concrete and Construction. Lange’s partner will also work locally.

Turnbull said the arrival of Johnstone and Lange had created excitement at the club.

He said the players had asked Magpies officials to bring in some experience.

Shannen Lange back in Sale colours.

“They were wanting someone from the higher level to come in and to get Shannen … there aren’t too many better footballers around. We were very lucky,’’ Turnbull said.

“There are really good numbers on the track. They’re excited to get Jack and Shannen into the team … it’s brought a whole new professionalism to the place. They’re fit. I haven’t seen them do so much running for a long time. They’re ready to go. There’s a different feel around the club.’’

Former AFL player Jack Leslie, another Sale junior, has listed the Magpies as his home club and is keen to have a run in between his VFL commitments with Williamstown.

Turnbull said the Gippsland league was set for a strong return to football, with clubs reporting good numbers and some excellent recruits.

The league cut its salary cap by $30,000, to $120,000 (all metropolitan competitions are operating at $100,000) as it takes stock from a season off.

Turnbull said Sale got through COVID-19 with the support of loyal sponsors.

“Quite honestly, it was a battle. But we were lucky to have some sponsors stick with us over that time. We also had some Thirds games last year – in fact juniors rights across football and netball – and that sort of kept us going and everyone together. But without those sponsors, who knows what sort of situation we’d be in leading into this year.’’

Sale will open the season by hosting Maffra in Round 1 on Sunday, April 11.