Black boosts Bulls midfield

By Paul Pickering
FORMER Fremantle and St Kilda midfielder Heath Black will play for Noble Park in the Eastern Football League next season.
Black, 29, played 192 AFL games before persistent injuries forced him into an early retirement at the end of this season.
Noble Park president Kevin Wright this week confirmed that Black had agreed to terms with the club and would join the Bulls for pre-season training when he returns from Western Australia.
“He’s definitely going to be playing, we just have to get the paperwork across to him and he’ll be back over in December,” Wright said.
It wasn’t exactly a hard sell for the Bulls, because Black was always keen to play alongside his half-brother, Dean Kelly, at Moodemere Street.
“He actually approached us and was very keen because he wants to finish his career with his brother,” a chuffed Wright explained.
“Guys like that don’t just walk in off the street, so we’re excited. He hasn’t cost us big bucks and we still think he’s got a bit of footy left in him.”
The damaging left-footer played with the Oakleigh Chargers in the TAC Cup before being selected by Fremantle with the number 12 pick in the 1996 AFL Draft.
He finished second in the Dockers’ best-and-fairest in 2001, only to be traded to St Kilda in 2002 and then back to Fremantle in 2005.
His hard-running, hard-hitting style of play will be a welcome addition to the already-formidable Bulls midfield.
Wright said Black was confident that he could play for another three to four years and was a prospective coach of the club.
His arrival may cause some confusion though, as Noble already has one Heath Black lining up at centre-half-forward.
Meanwhile, the Bulls expect to sign a replacement for senior coach Kris Barlow in the next fortnight.
Wright was also keen to quash rumours that the Bulls were chasing retired Saint Fraser Gehrig – a friend of Black – and former Bomber Adam Ramanauskas.
He said the club had not spoken to Gehrig and Ramanauskas had made it clear that he would not be playing football in 2009.