BALLARAT’S strong recruiting drive for the 2026 BFNL season has reeled in another high quality catch.
The Swans, who will be aiming for a third consecutive year of finals this season, have signed former Western Bulldogs and Adelaide defender Alex Keath.
He is the second former AFL player to land at Alfredton Recreation Reserve in little over a month, following in the footsteps of homegrown product Brad Crouch.
The 200cm Keath, a member of the Bulldogs’ beaten grand final side in 2021, will bring valuable experience and leadership to the Swans’ developing playing group.
He joins the club following a stint last season with East Brighton in the Southern Football Netball League, where he played 18 games, kicked 17 goals and featured in the best players eight times.
Ballarat coach Ash Baker said Keath’s experience at the elite level would provide enormous benefit to the club’s young playing group.
“It’s another great opportunity for our young group to learn from someone who’s played 100 games at the highest level,” he said.
“He’s a super quality person, and will add further to the positive culture and standards our group have established.
“The conversations I had with Alex in the lead-up to trying to get him across weren’t around his ability – he can play – but about what our boys can learn out on the ground.
“That will be astronomical.”
Baker said Keath’s friendship with Crouch – they were Crows teammates from 2016-19 – was instrumental in enticing him to the Swans.
He will add plenty of versatility to an emerging Swans playing group.
“He played at East Brighton last year and they had him everywhere; down forward, back and through the midfield, so he’s very versatile,” Baker said.
“He can go through all lines.
“He’s got some real height, some bulk and plenty of experience, which will be handy for us.”
Originally from Shepparton, Keath’s sporting journey began in football as a talented key position junior, developing through the Murray Bushrangers program and at Melbourne Grammar School.
As a teenager he came close to joining the Gold Coast Suns as a 17-year-old priority selection before opting to pursue a professional cricket career.
Keath went on to play first-class cricket with the Victoria, while also appearing in the Big Bash League for the Melbourne Stars, after earlier being a member of Australia Under-19 World Cup squad in 2010.
He eventually returned to football as a category B rookie player with the Adelaide Crows and made his AFL debut in 2017, playing 30 games before requesting a trade to the Western Bulldogs at the end of the 2019 season.
The dual-code star went on to play 79 games for the Bulldogs, including in the club’s 2021 grand final side.He called time on his AFL career at the end of the 2024 season.
Keath’s signing follows that of former AFL midfielder Crouch last month.
A former club junior, Crouch played 161 games with Adelaide and St Kilda before his retirement in 2024.
The polished midfielder last season played six games with Noble Park in the Eastern Football League, where he also served as senior assistant coach, adding to his leadership and mentoring experience.
Baker downplayed any suggestions of expectations being raised among the playing group due to the two high profile acquisitions.
“I think as soon as you start focusing on the outcomes, you lose track of the process of what needs to be done,” she said.
“You can have the most talented team, but not doing anything to get them to work cohesively.
“We’ve got a lot of areas to work on to get us working together as a team before we start looking at outcomes.
“But I’m absolutely thrilled with how things are coming together; the boys are training really well and are really excited to get a marquee signing.
The Swans had their practice match last Saturday against Essendon District club Greenvale and will play one more against Horsham Saints in Horsham.
They will open their season with a night game against North Ballarat at Mars Stadium on Saturday 11 April.