Silly season is well and truly underway in the local footy world.<\/p>\n
And it has sent the rumour mill into overdrive as clubs launch recruiting plans for next season.<\/p>\n
Here are some of the latest whispers from around the traps.<\/p>\n
MONEY TALKS<\/p>\n
Money dominates local football talk every off-season but this year the grapevine is as lush as it has ever been. Of course, there\u2019s a salary cap in place. Of course, clubs (allegedly) find a way around it. Like the country club that has signed a leading suburban player and is (allegedly) paying him $70,000, which would be about half his side\u2019s salary cap. It must have been a surprise for the player to receive such a lucrative offer, because he\u2019s past 30, injuries are taking a toll and he could hardly get a kick this year. Then there\u2019s the suburban club that (allegedly) spent a fortune this year and just scraped into the finals. Already well stocked with AFL-experienced talent, it is now going after a former VFL forward who will no doubt find it hard to turn down a $25k sign-on and match payments of $1400 a game.<\/p>\n
EX-AFL STAR TARGETS LOCAL FOOTY<\/p>\n
Could a former Demon be lacing up the boots in the Mornington Peninsula league? The whispers suggest Jake Melksham is set to link up with great mate Michael Hibberd at Somerville, with talk he could feature in as many as eight games for the Eagles in 2027. The pair are reportedly planning sportsmans nights together through to the mid-season bye, with Melksham to pick and choose which games he plays. Hibberd and Melksham\u2019s friendship goes back years, forged through intertwined stints at both Essendon and Melbourne. If it comes off, it would be a huge boost for a club chasing its first senior premiership since 1986.<\/p>\n
MPFNL STAR ON THE MOVE?<\/p>\n
Still at Somerville, and there\u2019s chatter that the Eagles have spoken to Dromana\u2019s dynamic Sam Fowler about a potential move to the Nest in 2027. Now, that would be huge.<\/p>\n
ANOTHER BULLDOG AT THE BULLS?<\/p>\n
Eastern league club Noble Park has been one of local footy\u2019s most active on the recruiting market this off-season, headlined by the signing of recently retired AFL Bulldog Adam Treloar. Treloar was joined by former Doggies teammate Robbie McComb not long after. But the Bulls could have another ex-Bulldog in the works, with ruckman and former AFL rookie Nathan Mullenger-McHugh rumoured to be on his way to the Pat Wright Snr Oval. Mullenger-McHugh has spent the past five seasons at Division 2 club Heathmont after making more than 50 VFL appearances for Footscray, Box Hill and Coburg. He was selected by the Western Bulldogs in the 2016 rookie draft.<\/p>\n
EXODUS AT A POWERHOUSE?<\/p>\n
Word on the grapevine is that one local footy powerhouse\u2019s recent form of falling short on the big stage has reached its peak. That said, some of the club\u2019s top players are believed to be heading for the exit. One of those includes a leader who has signed at another club and didn\u2019t even want to tell his now former coach.<\/p>\n
THAT\u2019S SPICY<\/p>\n
We hear of a rather spicy conversation between a former club president and a senior coach a couple of weeks ago. The ex-prez found out the coach (in charge of another club) had been ringing players and asking them about 2027 \u2013 while they were involved in a finals campaign. A phone call was made \u2013 and it\u2019s fair to say the former president made his point rather strongly to the coach. Ringing players was OK, he said, but NEVER when they had their mind on finals. The coach has moved on to another competition, no surprise given the disappointing performance of his team this year.<\/p>\n
DEES TO TIGERS?<\/p>\n
Marty Hore has taken over as Rochester\u2019s new senior coach and it\u2019s believed he\u2019s got a former AFL teammate in his sights including a recently retired swingman. <\/p>\n
ON SECOND THOUGHT<\/p>\n
A certain club in the south-east thought it had its new coach senior coach in place for 2027. That was until it rang the coach\u2019s former club and ran his name past the secretary. He didn\u2019t exactly give a glowing reference, saying his biggest problem was that he liked the punt. In one game this year he was apparently late in getting back to the bench after half-time. It turned out he wanted to watch the fifth at Flemington.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Silly season is well and truly underway in the local footy world. 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