Jordan Lane on decision to sign with Lauderdale upon TSL return

One of the TSL’s former young stars is set to return in 2024 and he has revealed why it’s with Lauderdale and not his former club.

Former Kingborough star Jordan Lane will return to the TSL next year but has signed on with Lauderdale. Picture: Linda Higginson

Lauderdale recruit Jordan Lane says the chance to work with a number of experienced Bombers players and link-up with an old teammate were the main drivers behind his return to the TSL for 2024.

The 2022 Matthew Richardson medallist was announced as the latest name set to play at SkyBus Oval next year, with Lane electing not to re-sign with reigning premiers Kingborough.

Lane left the Tigers at the end of the 2022 season, signing with Port Melbourne in the VFL after a breakout campaign where he booted 48 goals.

Jordan Lane said the decision not to resign with the Tigers was a difficult one. Photo: Anthony Corke

But his move to the Borough was cruelled by injury as the 21 year-old battled pre-season knee issues before osteitis pubis saw him miss the back half of the year and eventually play just the two VFL games and five with Port’s local affiliate club, North Shore.

And while he admits it was a difficult choice not to return to the Twin Ovals next season, the chance to work with a number of former AFL stars and the competition’s best player were opportunities too good to pass up.

“I was pretty close to going back to Kingborough,” Lane told The Mercury.

“Lauderdale were terrific in the way they went about it though. They showed a lot of interest. Andrew Phillips was one that reached out and let me know that if I chose to go there that he was really keen to work with me.

The chance to play with fellow recruit Andrew Phillips and playing coach Allen Christensen, two former AFL players, was too good to pass up for Lane. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“I talked to ‘Siggo’ (Sam Siggins) a fair bit but it was really ‘Wiggo’ (Ryan Wiggins) that got me over the line.

“It was a pretty tough decision to not go back to the Tigers but to be able to work with ‘Wiggo’ again and learn off some really experienced players like Andrew Phillips, Allen Christensen and Sam Siggins was a big pull.”

Wiggins was announced as the club’s strength and conditioning coach for 2024 earlier this week, alongside partner Lou Calvert, with Lane and Wiggins having played together at SFL club Cygnet.

With the long goal to hopefully return to VFL football in 2025 when Tasmania joins the competition, Lane believed working with that caliber of talent would give himself the best opportunity to achieve that goal.

Lou Calvert and Ryan Wiggins will head up Lauderdale’s strength and conditioning in 2024. Picture: Linda Higginson

“I looked at it in the perspective of what’s going to be better for my footy going forward and if I want to make it into that Tasmanian VFL side in a few years’ time, then learning off players like that is going to give me the best chance,” he said.

“But I love the Tigers and I was wrapped to see them achieve that ultimate success this season.”

It’s been a major off-season recruiting drive for Lauderdale after missing the finals with Lane joining Phillips, Ben McGuinness, Cam Hooker and Riley Hooker as confirmed signings while the club is also in discussions with two other former players to return.

Former Cygnet premiership coach Thor Boscott is every chance to sign on with The Mercury understanding an announcement on his potential comeback to the TSL could be imminent.

Mitch Robinson, the former Carlton and Brisbane hard nut, has also confirmed last month that he has had talks with his junior club about playing in some capacity next season.