Upper Ferntree Gully pair Mike Smith and Tim Riseley among the recruits at South Belgrave

Incoming South Belgrave coach Luke Galliott has turned up the heat on the Saints’ to end a five-year absence from finals after landing an impressive package of recruits.

Tim Riseley has joined South Belgrave. Picture Davis Harrigan

Incoming South Belgrave coach Luke Galliott has turned up the heat on the Saints’ to end a five-year absence from finals after landing an impressive package of recruits.

Multiple senior best and fairest winners Mike Smith and Tim Riseley are the headline additions after decorated careers across the Eastern Football League.

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Riseley won the 2015 Paul Edie Medal as the Division 3 best and fairest and played in Upper Ferntree Gully’s 2010 and 2016 grand final victories, with fellow premiership players Ben Haddock and Carmaine Porcaro also linking with South Belgrave.

Leigh Odermatt is back at South Belgrave. Picture: Chris Mirtschin

Knox pair Declan Forbes, who played in the Falcons’ 2017 flag, and Adam Stein will also bring Division 1 experience after crossing to the Saints.

Young athletic forward Brody Connelly has transferred from Narre Warren, where he played in Berwick’s 2015, 2017 and 2018 premierships and finished as the club’s leading goalkicker two seasons ago.

Spearhead Leigh Odermatt is back at South Belgrave after stints at Coldstream and Heathmont, while Dean Apostolopoulos has also returned to the Saints.

Versatile Stony Creek key-position player Michael Milivojevic, Belgrave midfielder Jordan McDermott and Upper Gully defender Tyler Willis are also among the recruits.

South Belgrave has won just 13 games in the past three years — a record Galliott is determined to turn around.

“That’s just not really acceptable for any footy club,” Galliott said.

“The club will be disappointed if we don’t play finals. I’d be filthy. I’ll say something’s gone wrong for us not to play finals footy. Hopefully it will put that sort of pressure on, I don’t think that’s unfair, but we think the club’s better than what it has been doing.

“We think the club is far more capable than Division 3.”

Brody Connelly slots a goal for Berwick in last year’s grand final. Picture: Chris Eastman/AAP

The Saints will be in the fourth tier this season after being relegated as part of the EFL restructure.

Galliott said the club’s recruits had it well positioned to challenge for finals for the first time since 2014.

“The club has supported me in wanting who I wanted and we were fortunate enough to get most of the guys we tried to get,” he said.

“The message was basically that it looks bad on paper, and it is, but going back a grade was always going to help with getting the side competitive again.

“We were able to get a few early and we’ve just sort of ran with that momentum with the recruiting.”