Inverleigh superstar Adam Donohue poached by South Colac as Hawk Paddy Bourke joins South Barwon

One of the best players in the GDFNL is heading to the Colac & District league in a surprise move. And it is a signing that is a year in the making.

Football GDFL - Corio v Inverleigh. Inverleigh 22 Dalton Grundell celebrates with 7 Adam Donohue on a goal Picture: Mark Wilson

Former Inverleigh star Brad Surkitt has landed premiership teammate Adam Donohue from the Hawks, with the pair to reunite at South Colac in 2025.

The club had shown interest in Donohue last year and with Surkitt joining South Colac ahead of the 2024 season, the Roos playing coach kept persisting and has now gotten his man.

Donohue was named in the 2024 GDFNL team of the year in another dominant season for the Hawks, booting 49 goals in 17 games.

The 34-year-old was pivotal in Inverleigh’s drought-breaking premiership win last year and coached the Hawks for five seasons before handing the reins to flag coach Chris Moore midway through the 2024 campaign.

It comes as South Barwon has signed fellow Inverleigh premiership player Paddy Bourke just days after its grand final loss to Leopold.

South Colac bowed out in a semi-final this year after losing to Irrewarra-Beeac and the club’s president Mick Baker is rapt to get the former Geelong listed player on board.

“They are good mates, obviously played together at Inverleigh in their flag and Brad was the main instigator in it all and great to get him on board,” South Colac president Mick Baker told this publication.

“He has kicked a lot of goals over the years and will definitely help us out. As far as we know he can play all over the ground, so looking forward to bringing the experience.

“He’s going to bring that experience and leadership and that goalkicking power to our side as well.

“We try to attract players that have some sort of connection to the club and ‘Big Buck’ was a good fit.”

Baker recalls being wowed by Donohue’s exploits in the GDFNL last year when they were attempting to secure Surkitt.

Adam Donohue impressed South Colac last year. Picture: Mark Wilson

“We went down to watch Brad in a final last year, we were looking at recruiting Brad as the senior coach and there was a big fella running around kicking goals and taking big marks and we thought, ‘who is this bloke?’” Baker recalls.

“As we weret rying to recruit Brad we were really keen on Buck as well, but we didn’t put a lot of effort into it (at the time) because our focus was getting Brad over the line.

Meanwhile, close ties have brought Bourke to South Barwon, with his partner playing netball at the club and close friends Taylor Mulraney and Sam James part of the senior football side.

There is no expectation that he will play seniors for the Swans given the big jump from the GDFNL to the GFNL.

The move means Bourke will have played in all three Geelong leagues, joining Modewarre for the 2019 season where he managed nine senior games.

The half-forward averaged 18 disposals and 84 Premier Data ranking points across 14 matches this season for Inverleigh.

He bookended his season with four goals and 13 touches in round one and collected 24 possessions, nine inside 50s and 107 points in the Hawks’ agonising final round defeat to Anakie.

Bourke played his juniors with Kolora-Noorat in the Warrnambool before moving to Terang Mortlake in the Hampden competition.

His signing comes five days after South Barwon’s 21-point defeat to Leopold at GMHBA Stadium, the club’s second consecutive grand final defeat.

The Swans re-signed 12 players this week including grand final players Harry Cunningham, Austin Shepherd, Jackson Carmody, Lachie Noble and Tom Bartlett.

Coach Mark Neeld said post-game that they didn't have the depth of the Lions.

“Leopold to us, obviously bat really deep,” he said.

“We don’t quite bat that deep yet.

“I think we had nine teenagers or thereabouts out there today.

“Twelve months down the track, we’re better. We have to go back to work over summer to be better again in 12 months (time).”

Originally published as Inverleigh superstar Adam Donohue poached by South Colac as Hawk Paddy Bourke joins South Barwon