TERANG Mortlake’s most productive off-season in years has yielded six former premiership players as the Bloods prepare to chase another Hampden league flag.
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The Bloods have lodged a number of clearance applications as several past players return to the club.
Coach Matthew Irving revealed premiership players — former skipper Nathan Jones, athletic key defender Brad Blain, wiry full-back James Reicha, defender/forward Jason Moloney and star midfielder Joel Moloney — were coming back to the Bloods for 2015.
They will be joined by running defender Xavier Reicha and young wingman/half-forward Tommy Moloney, who is also homeward bound after spending last year in Queensland.
The return of the familiar faces is a big boost for Terang Mortlake, which was beaten in the dying seconds of last season’s first semi-final by North Warrnambool Eagles after ending a two-season finals absence.
Irving said the Bloods were thrilled to regain so many experienced players.
He said the club had made recruiting former players a priority in recent seasons.
Irving said the Bloods had also been keen to add to the depth of experience.
“James Reicha, Nathan Jones, Joel and Jason Moloney and Brad Blain, they are all premiership players. They’ve all had success at the back of the year before,” he said.
Irving said the Bloods were excited about 2015 but recognised they had a lot of catching up to do.
“As a collective group we’ve probably recruited fairly well,” he said.
“But we have also got about six guys who are stepping up to play solely senior football from the under 18s.
“It’s been a pretty productive summer but we are still a long way off Koroit and Warrnambool. Having said that, two of our best games last year were against Koroit — one which came in the last round and one where we played them down there and we were eight goals up.”
Irving said elusive forward Sam Moloney, who was restricted to only a couple of games because of a hand injury sustained at work, is expected to be effectively a new recruit.
The coach said the return of Nathan Jones after four years away, including coaching Caramut in the Mininera league, was a big bonus.
“The way he has been running, he is the second-fittest player at training,” Irving said.
“We are very happy to get someone like him back. He’s another midfielder with experience and he’s a hard head over the footy.”
Key defender Brad Blain hasn’t played footy for four years but he was a member of the club’s 2004 premiership side as a 16-year-old.
Irving said Blain had moved back to the area last year and was keen to play with the Bloods again.
But he would need some time to regain his touch.
Xavier Reicha played at Kilcunda-Bass last season after a stint in Swan Hill with former Blood Xavier Moloney.
Irving confirmed the Bloods were losing star midfielder Nick Couch from their list because of a requirement all North Ballarat Roosters’ VFL-listed players be aligned with a Ballarat league club.
Talented teenager Xavier Lourey is moving to Geelong for university studies.