Whittlesea secures ex-VFL midfielder Cam Barrett from Balranald

Whittlesea will return to NFL Division 1 12 months late and has secured former VFL midfielder Cam Barrett from Balranald for the new season.

Cam Barrett in action for Northern Blues in the VFL.

Whittlesea has added more muscle to its midfield group as it prepares for a return to NFL Division 1 12 months late.

The Eagles have secured the services of big-bodied midfielder Cam Barrett, who has VFL experience with the Northern Blues.

Barrett has spent the last two seasons as captain-coach of Central Murray league club Balranald, while also spending time with Waratah in the Northern Territory state league.

Whittlesea coach Blair Harvey said Barrett would add class and versatility to the squad.

“He can play inside or out, elite by foot, a big bodied mid who can also play forward,” he said.

“He’ll add some very strong leadership attributes to the squad and he’s only 24 but has plenty of experience.

“He’s really good mates with Xav Dimasi, he and Dimma had been speaking and we got him across the line.”

Barrett will help fill the void left by Bailey Rice, who had signed for the 2020 season but departed to take up a college football punting scholarship in the US.

The 190cm utility played all 32 games for Balranald in 2018-19, kicking 18 goals and earning a mention in the best players 16 times.

After graduating from NAB League outfit Bendigo Pioneers, he played two seasons for the Northern Blues, making eight senior appearances and 10 in the development league.

Whittlesea have also confirmed the signing of brothers Clark and Owen Sloan.

Clark played 13 games in the Eagles’ reserves last season after crossing from Watsonia before the transfer deadline while Owen spent much of 2019 with Assumption College.

Whittlesea has returned to pre-season training with Whittlesea Showgrounds available as it doesn’t host cricket matches.

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“We started two weeks ago, we’re really lucky that Whittlesea’s football ground is crown land, not owned by council, and there’s no cricket on the oval either,” Harvey said.

“We’re lucky we’re not crossing over with other sports but there’s obviously a lot of protocols in place that everyone has to adhere to.

“We’re training for an hour and just kicking the footys around, having a bit of fun, and getting back to some normality.

“They’re having a ball running around and having a laugh, it’s not fitness based, just getting that emotion back with each other.”