Essendon Doutta Stars has made a landscape-changing set of signings that could propel the team into premiership contentions for the EDFL premier division next year.
A quartet of Sunbury Lions players were unveiled by the Stars last week in addition to the return of favourite son Robbie Hicks.
Hicks, who played three AFL games for Richmond in 2010, was at Douttas in 2012 but spent the 2013 season at VFL club Werribee.
The former Lions are Jay Cheep, Simon Clarke, Ross Sleight and Jamie Lobb.
On-baller Cheep signed to the Stars as an assistant coach.
He played in Geelong VFL’s 2007 premiership and was captain of Sunbury’s 2012 Ballarat Football League premiership. He has also played representative football for the VCFL.
Clarke, a key forward, has been Sunbury’s spearhead for the last three years as it made three consecutive BFL grand finals.
He kicked seven goals in the 2012 grand final and was best afield.
Sleight and Lobb round out the Sunbury signings.
Sunbury Lions has had close ties with the EDFL, partly because of the proximity but also because former Keilor assistant coach Rick Horwood has headed up the club in the last three years.
The Lions were rumoured to be sounding out a move to the EDFL as recently as 2011, with the league executive even making a presentation to the club’s senior and junior members.
But a more serious attempt to switch leagues never eventuated, with Sunbury’s actions since, such as renewing the club’s dedication to a netball team, have taken any talk of changing leagues off the table.
