Thomastown poaches ruckman from NFL Division 2 rivals
Thomastown is aiming high in 2021 and has secured a key recruit in their pursuit of success with ruckman Joel Carter signing on from NFL Division 2 rivals Epping.
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Thomastown has secured a missing piece for 2021 as it aims high in NFL Division 2.
The Bears have poached ruckman Joel Carter from division rivals Epping, filling the gapping hole left by Dylan Chapman’s departure.
With Chapman returning to AFL Outer East club Officer, securing a capable big man was priority No.1 for coach Mario Bandera during the cancelled season.
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Bandera said being able to pry him away from a rival showed Thomastown was on the right track.
“Joel was someone we actually looked at 12 months ago … coming back to the Northern footy league, I watched a lot of footage and he really stood out to us,” Bandera said.
“For us, it’s good recognition for our footy club, he heard good things over the summer but he’s also seen things playing against us.
“Every time you try and recruit a player from inside your division it’s a major hurdle … it wasn’t easy from his point of view.
“I think we ticked a lot of boxes for him, so it’s a major feather in our cap that we’ve been able to attract someone from inside the competition.
“And as much as he is a good player already, in my eyes he has a fair bit of upside, and with the age demographic of our side I thought our growth and his growth could be tied in together.
Carter didn’t miss a match in his two seasons at Epping, finishing strongly in the Pingers’ best-and-fairest in both campaigns.
He also caught the eye of the umpires, finishing 11th overall in the league medal in 2018 and securing the second most league votes for Epping in 2019.
Bandera has some lofty goals for the former Northern Knights NAB League big man and his club as a whole.
“I saw footage against the likes of (Tim) Martin and Chappy, who were in the Team of the Year last year and the year before.
“There was a game at Epping last year where he clearly beat Chappy and even Martin, when they played Banyule at Banyule, he monstered him a bit.
“I set the challenge to him and to us as a group, we want him to be in the Team of the Year and I said to him he could become one of the premier ruckman but also one of the premier players in the competition.
“If we can help him achieve that it will put us in the good spot because most of those sides that we’re competing with for finals have all got quality ruckmen.”
Carter will join the Bears’ 2020 recruits Daniel Bramich (North Heidelberg), Tim Totevski (time off), Todd Hughes, Tyla Barrow (both Bundoora) and Nathan Valkanis (Ivanhoe).
Chapman, Nick Klooster (Macleod), Michael Gravina (Thomastown) were the major departures.