FORMER Bundoora premiership captains Brayden Shaw and Micheal Farrelly will play for Hurstbridge next season.
The duo have both committed to playing with the Division 2 side in 2015, with the Bridges to be coached by former Bundoora teammate Michael Ryan.
Ryan, who has been appointed as a playing-coach, said the duo would provide a great boost to his club’s young playing list.
“We’ve sort of been a bit lucky to be able to get the calibre of those guys to jump on board to help the kids continue on from where we left off this year,” the 27-year-old said.
“Hopefully success breeds success.
“These guys can pass on a bit of their knowledge and the experience they’ve picked up along the way playing top first division football and pass it on to the young group that we’ve got at this stage.
“Going forward we can all grow together and improve and get reward for effort.”
Shaw has been one of the most highly regarded players in the Northern Football League since crossing to Bundoora from VFL club Port Melbourne.
In 2011 he captained Bundoora to its first premiership in 15 years, when the Bulls held off Heidelberg in a 10-point grand final win.
Two years later he was best afield as Bundoora came from 45 points behind to beat Montmorency in one of the league’s most dramatic grand final results.
This year he finished second to Kent Delbridge for the Bulls’ best and fairest award, kicking 11 goals in 19 appearances.
Farrelly is equally accomplished in the NFL, winning the best on ground medallion in Bundoora’s 2011 premiership win before leading the club to the 2013 grand final win with Shaw.
He joins Hurstbridge as a playing assistant after spending the 2014 season with Beulah in the Mallee Football League.
Shaw and Farrelly will be joined at Hurstbridge by Epping 2012 premiership midfielder Jarrod Tilley (pictured below) and Lower Plenty utility Aaron Geary.
Hurstbridge’s active off-season recruiting drive has continued the momentum generated from a successful end to the 2014 season on the field.
The Bridges won their final three games of the season, including a 33-point away win to finalist Lalor in Round 18, to finish fifth on the Division 2 ladder.
Ryan said playing finals was the club’s ambition in 2015.
“That’s definitely got to be the aim for the club, to play finals now with the guys we have on board, plus the development we have coming through such a successful junior program,” he said.
“I suppose knocking those teams off at the end of the year does give us some confidence and shows we do belong in second division. Not just belong now, but hopefully we can go forward as a club.”
Ryan paid tribute to his predecessor Jono Monzoney, who has stepped away from coaching to focus on his university studies.
Manzoney coaches the Bridges for two years and this season guided the club to its best Division 2 finish since returning to the competition four years ago.
“He’s been able to bring through all the kids and really implement some professionalism amongst the club,” Ryan said.
“Jono is still going to be around and the door is always going to be open for him to come back whenever he likes. He’s held in such high regard at the club.”
Hurstbridge will commence pre-season training on November 12.
