Star forward Justin Van Unen signs with Corio ahead of 2025 GDFNL season

Corio’s hope of rising up the GDFNL ladder in 2025 has received a major boost with the signing of a prolific goalkicker. Plus, the telling stat which influenced the Devils’ recruiting drive.

Justin Van Unen in action for Kilsyth in 2024. Picture: Davis Harrigan

There is little doubt star Corio recruit Justin Van Unen will make a “massive” difference to the Devils’ attacking powers, but it’s the decorated goalkicker’s vast experience which is expected to be just as important in lifting the tide at Shell Reserve.

Devils playing Joel Bennett confirmed the prolific forward, who rung up 1000 career goals last year, had been cleared to play at the Devils this year, after originally signing for Essendon District Football League club East Keilor in October.

But a change in circumstances saw the 34-year-old change course to the GDFNL in recent weeks, with wooden- spooners Corio the beneficiary through Van Unen‘s premiership connections to new Devils’ Jarrod Bayliss, Chris Moreland and Russell Cowan.

Coming through the Oakleigh Chargers’ talent pathway, Van Unen has gathered a wealth of experience playing in the VFL, NTFL, AFL Queensland and acrossvarious regional and metro Victorian leagues since 2010, while he is also well-known for his reality TV stint on ‘The Recruit’.

Justin Van Unen celebrated his 1000th goal in 2024. Picture: Field of View Photography

Last year, Van Unen kicked his 1000th goal playing for Kilsyth in the Eastern Division 4 competition, while he has surpassed the 100-goal mark twice in a season, first in 2012 with Rye and again in 2015 at Peninsula.

“It’s massive, to get anyone whose kicked a 1000 goals over their career,” Bennett said of Van Unen.

“And just the insights he’s going to have; we really lacked in leadership last year, once we had a couple injuries that really highlighted the fact of just how young we were as a side.”

Van Unen’s arrival at Shell Reserve reunited him with Bayliss, Moreland and Cowan, the quartet winning a premiership together at Powelltown in 2023, with Bayliss the leading force in facilitating the move.

“He just doesn’t want to commit to that level (EDFL) anymore,” Bennett said of Van Unen.

“I think around Christmas time … things started to change (for him), and him and Jarrod are pretty good mates and just sparked up a conversation and Jarrod floated the idea. It sounded good to Justin and here we are.”

The telling stat behind Devils’ off-season movements

Targeting older heads was a central recruiting strategy for Corio this off-season after going 2-15-1 last year and failing to win a game after round 8.

With Bennett’s season cut short after round 6 following a spinal injury sustained in play, the Devils were exposed for on-field leadership, with recruit Matt James, who would go on to win the league’s Whitley medal as best and fairest, stepping up to take a leading role for the Devils through the midfield.

Corio coach Joel Bennett appears on track to return for round 1. Picture: Mark Wilson

But Bennett, a league star in his own right, has found reinforcements in the likes of Moreland, Bayliss, Cowan and now Van Unen.

Moreland, a midfielder and former GFNL captain at Geelong West, and Bayliss, an utility, have both taken on assistant coaching roles, while Cowan, a midfielder who can go forward, was league runner-up in EFNL Division 3 at Upper Ferntree Gully last season, with one performance seeing him snag 12 goals in a game.

Bennett’s likely round 1 return makes it five instant on-field leaders, with senior assistant coach Adam Bell to run the bench for Bennett on game day.

“Getting those four boys who are all in their 30s, won a premiership at Powelltown together only two years ago, just to get some proven winners and genuine leaders out there on the field, I think it will hold us in pretty good stead,” Bennett said.

“You look at a lot of our games last year, and at half time, we would have been leading more games then losing.”

In six of the Devils’ losses, as well as their draw against Inverleigh, the club led at half time before fading away, including giving up a 39-point halftime lead to North Geelong in round 11.

In their other nine losses, they trailed at the main break but only by an average of 16 points, with almost half those under two goals before scores blew out.

“Coming out of half time, we were just a completely different side and I think just that inexperience, whether the opposition might have won a couple key contests and our boys’ heads just dropped, the talk on the field sort of dropped,” Bennett said.

Corio opens its season at home on April 6 against Anakie, with practice matches pencilled in against Irrewarra-Beeac (March 7, location TBC), Tarneit (March 15, away) and Sunshine Heights (March 22, away).

Originally published as Star forward Justin Van Unen signs with Corio ahead of 2025 GDFNL season