VFL: Frankston Dolphins sign Josh Butland, Ned Shannon and Jeremy Burton

You’re in: three more local products have joined Frankston as the Dolphins finalise their list for the 2022 VFL season.

Joshua Butland takes a kick for Frankston YCW. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Frankston is one signing away from finalising its 2022 VFL squad after locking in two more players who came through the MPNFL.

Ned Shannon, the son of Dolphins assistant coach Andrew, and Josh Butland both played in the Dollies’ practice match against Coburg at Linen House in Seaford on Saturday.

Shannon, 22, was at Crib Point – he won the senior best and fairest in 2018 – before moving to Geelong for university studies and joining St Mary’s.

The left-footer returned to the Mornington Peninsula to take up a teaching post at Padua College.

“He’s an inside and outside midfielder, he’s a left-footer with really good hands in close and a neat kick,’’ Frankston coach Danny Ryan said.

“He’s come to us late in the piece and we’re pleased to have him on board.’’

Andrew Shannon played for Frankston and was also a prominent MPNFL player.

Butland, 188cm, has been a useful goalkicker for Frankston YCW, slotting 24 goals from 12 matches last year and 36 in 2019.

“He’s a third tall forward who plays key positions for YC,’’ Ryan said of the 23-year-old.

“He can find the footy, he’s got a beautiful pair of mitts. He’s not what I’d call VFL-fit at this stage because he came into the program late, a bit like Ned, and his awareness of the game is a work in progress. But he’s a mature young man, a really good person, with a fair bit of ability. Rapt to have him.’’

Another MPNFL player, Mt Eliza’s Jeremy Burton, is also a new Dolphin.

He was named in the Redlegs’ best in eight of his 12 matches last year.

Burton had previously played a handful of matches with the Dandenong Stingrays.

The Dolphins won the match against Coburg but versatile tall Kai Owens hurt his ankle. The extent of his injury will be known this week.

Frankston recruits Ryley Stoddart (Carlton VFL), Taylin Duman (Fremantle), Colby Nanya (Dandenong Stingrays), Jimmy Cahill (Dandenong Stingrays), Angus Grant (Old Mentonians) and Lachlan Riley (Sandringham Dragons) had a run, but fellow newcomers Trent Mynott (Box Hill Hawks) and Tom Murphy (SANFL/North Melbourne) and Will Walker (North Melbourne) sat it out.

Grant was a prominent goalkicker for Old Mentonians last year but he lined up as a key defender on Coburg’s Peter McEvoy.

Going the other way, Taine Barlow, a defender last season, played as a forward and was creative and clever.

Liam Reidy and James Rendell shared the ruck duties, and Ryan assessed them as a “lively combination’’.

Rendell looked superbly fit and Ryan confirmed he had “worked really hard on his body to get some size on, especially his upper body, because he’s an undersized ruckman’’.

The Dolphins are still contention to sign former Essendon midfielder Dylan Clarke, who dropped in to Saturday’s practice match.

Clarke has received offers from SANFL clubs too.