The Blues yesterday revealed the Cobden key position player as their first recruit for the 2015 Warrnambool and District league season.

McCann, 23, joins Aidan Cole’s side after a horror 2014 season which featured two torn quads and a rolled ankle which required surgery.

He said leaving Cobden, his lifelong club, was “as far as football goes the hardest thing I’ve had to do”.

But he was excited about the chance to make a fresh start with Nirranda, a club based about 10 minutes from his home.

McCann, a builder who works at Port Campbell, played in the 2012 Hampden league grand final and split his time between seniors and reserves in 2013.

But he managed just 10 senior matches in 2014 after tearing his left quad in the summer and again mid-season, then rolling his right ankle in August.

“Last season was a disaster football-wise. The year before I was in and out (of the seniors) too,” he said.

“There were a couple of stages where I thought I don’t know what I want to do with football, whether I play ... This year is about rekindling the love for football.”

McCann said a range of factors prompted him to sign with Nirranda — “it’s a mixture of convenience and also to get a bit of enjoyment out of it”.

He is friends with a few of the Blues’ senior players and played alongside Cole at Cobden. But he also admires their brand of football.

“I watched a couple of their games last year and they’re all really tough. I love that kind of football,” he said.

McCann said he was on the road to recovery from ankle surgery. He expects to be able to run in December and wants to complete a big pre-season.

“The new club, you want to prove yourself to everyone. I’m coming from a higher level. I want to prove to everyone this is how you get fit,” he said.

He anticipates having a role in the back line. He was a member of the Bombers’ back six during their rise to the grand final in 2012.