By Nick Creely
The Rowville Football Club has named a new skipper for the 2017 season with Alex Frawley named as the new leader.
The dual Mynott medallist and club legend forms part of a new-look leadership group with emerging ruckman Mitch Garner and the reigning 2016 Chandler medallist Cameron Manual appointed as joint vice-captains.
To round out the Hawks’ leadership group are key defender Daniel Zajac, Luke Daidone and former VFL jet James Wilsen.
It’s already been a hectic off-season down at Seebeck Oval as they chase a maiden Division 1 premiership in the Eastern Football League.
The club has already announced that it has re-signed Mat Suckling, originally from Norwood in the SANFL, as well a plethora of former VFL players – seven in fact – with Michael Sikora, James Wilsen, Jake Dermott, Jordan Bastinac, Jake Kidd, Jackson Anderson and Jayden Cyster joining the powerful club.
In the Journal’s other local EFL side, Noble Park is having a solid pre-season as it gears up to go one step further in 2017.
It has added Brenton Wells from Narre Warren, Ryan O’Dell from Mornington, as well as the higher profile recruits Hudson Thomas from the Frankston Dolphins and James Gwilt from the AFL.
And in the Southern Football League, Keysborough is gearing up for a big season as the expectations continue to rise at Keysborough Reserve.
Early last week, the club announced that TAC Cup star and Sandringham Dragon Jacob Bakes had nominated it as his senior club for 2017.
A highly touted youngster, it is definitely a coup for the club. The Journal will be releasing its 2017 Football Preview on 3 April.