BOORT
BOORT’S 2023 season started optimistically but a barrage of injuries saw the side slip out of finals contention fairly early on in the season.
With 12 of their players out, Boort continued to play reasonable football with several of their losses being just a kick the difference.
Considering none of those matches were played with a full team, The Magpies will be looking to swoop into a top four position after some clever recruiting.
Boort welcomes 15 new players into the fold and bids farewell to seven of its outgoing players.
Coach Dale Cameron said the outgoing players did not contribute to the season last year due to injury and he was looking forward to the juniors who will be promoted through the junior ranks.
“We have eight from our under 17s side coming through to seniors this year and all played in the winning under 17 premiership side last year,” he said.
“We will be a mixed side this year, a lot of new talent mixed with older heads and there is no pressure on us, we will take time to build.
“We’ve recruited some great players to the side with a lot of experience so we’re really looking forward to what the season brings.”
James Campbell is one of those recruits and is making the move back to Boort from Sebastopol with a wealth of experience and VFL grand finals under his belt.
Jhye Baddeley-Kelly is another exciting newcomer with three years of VFL playing experience and Matt Austin moves into the team with an extensive history, including being listed with Brisbane Lions.
Despite extensive changes to the line-up Cameron said team cohesion at training had been good and he was looking forward to a better injury free team this year.
Fast facts
President – Craig Scott
Senior Coach – Dale Cameron
2023 Ladder position – Seventh
2023 Best & Fairest – Jarrod Fitzpatrick
2023 Leading Goalkicker – Jarrod Fitzpatrick
Premierships – 3 (1954, 1982, 2008)
From the coach – Dale Cameron
I’m expecting an exciting year for Boort as we build a team for the future.
Injury was a major problem last year, but we still played some good football.
We struggled down forward but held our own held across the rest of the field, we just couldn’t get points on the board
We’re expecting Will Perryman to help fill that gap.
We also have three guys who have relocated to Victoria from Alice Springs and have chosen Boort due to family connections here.
Jacob Rowlands is another player we have high hopes for.
Key player – Will Perryman
Perryman enters the Magpies’ line up with Pyramid Hill’s leading goalkicker title in 2023 and a vision to provide a solid target down forward.
An accurate kick with strong hands in the marking contest, Perryman comes to the club in strong form and superior fitness.
Outs
Ins – Jayden Dick, Jacob Rowlands, Nicholas Clydesdale, Wade Broadstock, Malachi Coleman, Matt Austin, Jhye Baddeley-Kelly, Will Perryman, Mitchell O’Donoghue, James Byrne (ruck), Luke Dowdel
