VAFA young gun Luke Di Lizio joins Queenscliff
Queenscliff has unveiled a VFL-listed player as its first recruit for 2021, but will be without one of its high-profile recruits from this year’s abandoned campaign.
Vic Amateur
Don't miss out on the headlines from Vic Amateur. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Queenscliff has made its first signing for the 2021 Bellarine season but is set to farewell one of its high-profile recruits from this year’s abandoned campaign.
VAFA young gun Luke Di Lizio has joined the Coutas from St Bernard’s, where he was a premiership player in the 2018 Premier B decider.
Di Lizio, 22, was on Coburg’s VFL list last year and was also with Richmond’s development squad the previous season.
He never played a state league game but made 17 appearances with St Bernard’s in the VAFA’s top tier in 2019, kicking 18 goals.
Queenscliff coach Steve Clark said Di Lizio could “play both ends of the ground and can play through the midfield, through the wings”.
“His family had a holiday house down at Ocean Grove so he’s been coming down here for a number of years but been living down here since early in the year,” Clark said.
“We were quite lucky that his dad had gone to school with our footy director (Pete Caddy).
“He just rang to inquire about clubs and that sort of thing. We had a meeting with him and showed him how he’d fit in.
“We’ve been really lucky to get him on board.”
Clark said Queenscliff would be without two-time St Joseph’s premiership player Paul Dreher, who was set to relocate to Melbourne.
He said Dreher would have been “a premier midfielder in the competition”.
“We’ll more than likely lose him for him to be playing footy up there,” he said.
“Everyone is right to go again, outside of Mitch Butteriss and Tim Connolly, who have gone back to Leopold.”
Clark said Queenscliff wanted to be specific in its recruiting.
“Ninety-nine per cent of our list has re-signed,” he said.
“We had a lot of guys from the year before that were injured so we feel we run quite deep over the list.
“We’ve got some ripper kids that are coming up and have already played senior footy.
“We’ve also got two or three kids that are still underage that we believe can play some senior footy as well.
“We want to make sure we’ve got that balance right. We’re just going to be really specific in potentially adding one or two to the list.
“We won’t be casting a big wide net.”
Originally published as VAFA young gun Luke Di Lizio joins Queenscliff