EFL: Blackburn signs three young guns for the 2020 Premier Division season
Blackburn has signed three country young guns, including the son of a club great and two premiership players, for the 2020 season.
Local Sport
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Three country young guns, including the son of a club great, have joined Blackburn for its 2020 EFL Premier Division campaign.
Gippsland Power’s Ryan Sparkes and Greater Western Victoria Rebels’ Connor Hinkley have signed at Morton Park following stints in the NAB League.
And Sunraysia product Andy Wall, who signed with VFL club Box Hill before Christmas, has joined the Burners.
Sparkes is the son of Blackburn great Anthony, who played 268 games and is regarded as one of the club’s greatest players.
Anthony won the second-tier’s leading goalkicker award in 1990 and is a life member of the Eastern league club.
Sparkes is a hard-running winger with neat skills.
He also represented Vic Country at the under-18 national championships last year and will be aligned with VFL club Casey Demons this season.
Blackburn coach Brendan Allen said the family’s links to the club helped it secure Sparkes, who played senior football for Inverloch Kongwak.
“I think that connection has helped get him over the line but he was pretty happy with what we would do to help develop his footy at VFL level,” Allen said.
Hinkley featured in Koroit’s Hampden premiership in 2019 as an 18-year-old and played six games with Ballarat-based GWV.
“He came down and trained with us before Christmas, so drove all the way up from Warrnambool way,” Allen said.
“He got back in the car and signed the next day. He was obviously rapt with what we had to offer.”
Wall is capable of playing at either end of the ground, winning Wentworth’s best and fairest in 2018 as a defender and kicking 39 goals last year.
He was a member of Wentworth’s 2012 premiership under the coaching of former Western Bulldogs and Essendon midfielder Mark Alvey.
“Box Hill was pretty keen that he was aligned with a Premier club and when they found out he was talking to us, they couldn’t shoot him in our direction any quicker,” Allen said.
Blackburn finished runner-up to Vermont last year and will open its season on Good Friday against Balwyn at Morton Park.
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