A Warrnambool and District league contender has bolstered its midfield, signing three former players for 2023.
Brothers Tate and Jalen Porter have returned to Merrivale, as well as former Tigers junior Jaxon Madden.
The siblings spent the year at North Warrnambool Eagles in the Hampden league with Tate featuring in the Eagles' grand-final side.
Tate was a key-cog in the Eagles' outfit, playing all 22 games and appearing in the side's best players on 13 occasions. He was named the Eagles' second-best player in their grand-final loss to Koroit.
He joined the club after finishing runner-up in the 2021 Esam Medal with the Tigers.
Jalen appeared in eight senior games for the Eagles in 2022.
Tigers coach Josh Sobey said it was "great news" to have the brothers return to the club.
"They're Merrivale people, we're always confident that those sort of guys will make their way back to the club at some stage," he said.
"We're just fortunate enough it was for next year."
The Tigers mentor expects the club to benefit from the players' year in the Hampden league system, where they played under premiership coach Adam Dowie.
"How much they love the club and how much they want to help improve the club, is what excites me the most," he said.
"Obviously they both had fantastic years out at North and have grown so much more. Being in a program with Adam (Dowie), the knowledge and everything he's passed on will only help our footy club as well."
Sobey confirmed both players were "genuine midfielders" and would be utilised as such but said the club would work with them on their forward craft as well.
"Those percentages will change from week-to-week," he said.
"Especially with Jaylen, we want to continue to help him with that forward craft and add another string to his bow.
"Both are genuine midfielders and attack the contest pretty hard, so we'll play to their strengths a lot but obviously still try and develop their game, they're both only pretty young."
Madden returns to the Tigers after a year in Koroit's under 18.5 program where he played 20 games and featured in the grand final.
Sobey has high hopes for the teenager.
"I've got a lot of faith in that young man and we're really happy," he said.
"I believe he can probably captain the club in 10 years' time. I really love his personality and he's just a wonderful person."
The Tigers will look to develop Madden in all the areas they can.
"He's another midfielder but I think he's only a young, developing player so I think it's important we keep our eyes wide open with Jackson and give him an opportunity to explore different options," Sobey said.
Matt Hughes
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
