NORTH Warrnambool Eagles’ forward line will boast a century goalkicker in 2015.
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Four-time Horsham premiership star Dylan Parish signed with the Eagles last night in a major coup for the Bushfield-based club as it aims to build on three straight Hampden league preliminary final berths.
Parish, 23, is expected to provide a strong target in attack — he slotted 117 goals for Wimmera league club Horsham in 2011 when he was 19 — and has expressed a desire to spend time in the midfield.
The former North Ballarat Rebel, who spent the 2014 season with Horsham and District league club Laharum, moved to Warrnambool two weeks ago.
Up to 10 Hampden and Warrnambool and District league clubs were interested in landing the 191cm talent.
Parish played with Eagles midfielder Dean Gavin and ruckman Jordan Dillon at the Rebels.
He said those connections and the club’s young list swayed his decision.
“I was umming and ahhing about whether to go home (and play) or not but at the end of the day I was keen to settle in here, a lot for football reasons but for social reasons as well,” Parish said.
“I’ve got no real mates down here so it will be good to settle into a really good club and hopefully have a good year on the track and make a few good friends.
“By the sounds of it, it is a very young group so I think I will fit in quite well.
“The guys put forward a very good spiel about the club and gave me good background about the club and I was more than happy to keep talking to (recruiting manager) Graeme (Twaddle) and it went from there.”
Parish, who is working for builders Neville and Ash Dance, said he was ready to start pre-season training on Monday.
“Basically I knew I was coming down here for a long time but I don’t worry too far ahead in football terms,” he said.
“That is how I am. I am pretty laid-back and was just worried about where I was last year, playing week-by-week.
“I am just keen to put the Eagles’ jumper on and have a crack.”
Eagles football director Michael Harrison said Parish’s signing meant the club ended a turbulent week on a high after coach Bernard Moloney stood down on Monday night for personal reasons.
“We are excited to get Dylan,” he said.
“To lose three or four of our goalkicking power in the last couple of years, it’s good to get a quality forward into the club. That was one of the positions we identified we needed to fill to match our position (this year) and hopefully go one better. We are very thrilled to have a player the calibre of Dylan coming to us.
“It’s been a hard week for the club but we are certainly going ahead positively.”
He praised Twaddle, who was instrumental in luring Parish to Bushfield.