Veterans back to their roots

HOME has come calling for AFL players who will head back to the bush this season.

Collingwood training at Olympic Park , Clinton Young takes a mark at training. 9th July 2014. Picture : Colleen Petch

HOME  has come calling for AFL players who will head back to the bush this season.

Clinton Young, a 2008 premiership player with Hawthorn who finished his career at Collingwood last year, is headed to the Wimmera league and his former junior club, Minyip-Murtoa.

Ovens and Murray powerhouse Albury has added Western Bulldogs legend Daniel Cross to its stocks.

Cross, who finished his playing career with Melbourne last year after 249 games, will return to his former junior club when it fits around his position as development and rehabilitation coach and match-day runner with the Demons, ­potentially lining up in the grand final rematch against Lavington on Friday.

Delisted Greater Western Sydney player Sam Schulz has also joined Albury as a development coach. The former Culcairn junior had a knee ­reconstruction last year but Albury co-coach Daniel Maher said the club hoped Schulz could return at the tail-end of the season.

Former Fremantle player Josh Mellington, a Benalla premiership player last year, is also bound for Albury.

Premier player: Clinton Young.

Experience: Jason Winderlich.

Former Essendon player Jason Winderlich, who retired from the Bombers for a second time last year after 13 seasons, has joined Gippsland league reigning premier Traralgon.

Winderlich was a junior player at Mid Gippsland club Thorpdale, about 40km west of Traralgon.

Traralgon president ­Andrew Livingstone said Winderlich would mainly play home games and finals.

“His experience will be really beneficial to our young guys,” Livingstone said.

Bairnsdale, another Gippsland league club, appointed North Melbourne premiership player Stuart Anderson, originally from Sale, as its coach.

Two teams that struggled last season have also picked up some ex-AFL players.

Tony Armstrong – who played a combined 35 games in six seasons for Adelaide, Sydney and Collingwood before he was delisted alongside Young – is joining Geelong league wooden-spoon winner Lara.

Brett Goodes, a former Western Bulldogs player who has enjoyed a hugely successful VFL career, is continuing his football career with Ballarat Football League team ­Sebastopol.

Goodes was appointed the Bulldogs’ Ballarat engagement manager.