Cobden adds Sam Lucas for 2024 Hampden league season

Cobden has landed 193-centimetre defender Sam Lucas from Colac and District league outfit Colac Imperials.

Bombers coach Brody Mahoney said Lucas, who can also play forward, was a welcome addition to the club.

"We were after a couple of key position players and he's played most of his career in the back line but he plays up both ends and we're pumped to have him onboard," he told The Standard.

"I've been talking to him since the end of the footy season and he was always leaning towards testing himself, whether it was with us or with Colac Tigers (in the Geelong league).

"I think the opportunity with us and seeing how we went last year got him over the line which was good."

Mahoney said Lucas, who played 99 senior games for Colac Imperials and was an interleague representative, was reliable and had a lot of upside.

"He's a marking defender. He reads the ball really well and moves quite well," he said.

"He's pretty wiry and should be able to add something to our side hopefully."

Lucas played for Colac Imperials in the 2023 grand final.

"He had an injury really early last season but he got over that towards the end of the year and played the prelim and the granny," Mahoney said.

"He still had an impact."

Cobden is happy with the way its list is shaping as it aims to make back-to-back finals campaigns.

"We have never had a heap of big, tall players at Cobden ever since I've been there and every year we've managed to get a couple we've gone pretty well," Mahoney said.

"We're trying to just keep everyone and then fine-tune those couple of key position spots and I guess that shares the load elsewhere and the guys who have played in bigger positions can play in positions they're probably meant to be playing in."

Lucas' signing comes after Angus Uwland opted to return to Cobden - his home club - after time away.

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