42 DAYS TO GO | EFL Media will be previewing each club ahead of the 2019 season with the #InFocus2019 series, all thanks to Yarra Valley Water & Choose Tap.
By: Daniel Cencic
THE recruits at the Bloods have been the talk of Division 3.
Embarking on his second season at the helm, Warrandyte senior coach Anthony McGregor recognised a need for leadership at the end of 2018.
The Bloods recorded three wins and 15 losses last year, and have welcomed an influx of talent this off-season including former Melbourne co-captain Jack Grimes (Hurstbridge, Northern FNL), along with brothers Nathan (Corryong, Upper Murray league) and Tom (Hurstbridge), while 2016 Hurstbridge Division 2 premiership captain Sean Jellie also joins the fold.
Paul Donahoo (Prahan Assumption, VAFA) has also signed on, along with big-man Luke Hodge (Portland, Hampden FNL).
Jack Grimes played 100 games for Melbourne between 2008-2016, co-captaining the club from 2012-14. PICTURE: Wayne Ludbey
“That (leadership) was what we were searching for,” McGregor said.
“When we did the wrap-up last year, we thought that’s our biggest Achilles heel – no disrespect to who we had – our middle-aged leadership wasn’t there and it’s something that we certainly targeted as a club and in our recruiting regime.
“We looked for the 26-29-year-olds that have been there and done it, to mentor such a young group.
“I think we’ve hit the mark in regard to getting what we wanted.”
All the key recruits have impressed this pre-season, but Sean Jellie has led the charge in the fitness stakes, according to McGregor.
“He (Sean Jellie) is an absolute fitness freak,” McGregor said.
“There’s well and truly daylight between him and the next bloke in regard to our fitness work.
“He has some silky skills as well – we’re going to get a lot of work-rate from him that our group or our club hasn’t seen before.”
Meanwhile, the Grimes brothers all look like bringing something different to the park.
“Nathan’s a very tall key forward (and) being around the 30-year-old mark, he’s probably not going to give us 18 games but if we can manage him and get him through the games we need him to get through, that will be the bonus.
“Tom’s just one of those hard-working resilient types – he’s someone we’re probably going to get the most out of.
“With Jack, you’re going to get ball-use and total class, but I think you’ll find the biggest growth will come from Tom out of those three.”
Adding to the club’s tall-timber is Luke Hodge, standing at around “six-foot-seven”, who found his way to the Bloods through work colleagues, while Paul Donahoo is the brother-in-law of the Grimes trio.
Donahoo returns to the EFL after having played at Ringwood in 2001 followed by a stint at Noble Park from 2002-2006.
“He (Paul Donahoo) looks like he’s the protector – get in there and get amongst it and protect the boys on the periphery – you’ll find he’ll be a real in-and-under type footballer,” McGregor said.
McGregor has been thrilled with the buy-in of the group with the Bloods retaining their list from 2018.
“I couldn’t ask for any more – I laid the law down early last year before we started a couple of times and I told them this is how it’s going to be and how it needs to be and how far away we were from it,” he said.
“We started from scratch and you’ve just got to be honest.
“Both sides of the fence it’s been total buy-in; one club, one direction.
“I can’t ask for any more support than that, it’s been fantastic.”
Club-great Tom Naughtin has also committed to another year of footy.
“If you need something sorted out or you need that extra voice on the ground, he’s fantastic for me,” McGregor said.
“He still gives you a thousand per cent, and you can’t ask for anything more than that.
“He’s got the respect of every single player in the place.”
And the coach is under no illusions as to the club’s goals for 2019.
“A pass mark for this season is deep finals,” McGregor said.
“I believe if we don’t go deep finals, not only through what our list is – but don’t forget we’ve got the (EFL competition) restructure – we’re missing four of the best teams in our comp this year.
“Take that with our recruiting, it’d be an epic fail if we didn’t make deep finals.”
Warrandyte begins its season when it hosts the Glen Waverley Hawks on Saturday, April 6.
