Violet Town’s Josh Mellington, who famously rocked the competition with his fourth ever 100-goal season in 2021, will not shoulder the goal kicking responsibilities alone next year with the Towners picking up prolific forward Jack Exell.
Luckily for fans, Exell is cut from a similar cloth as ‘Mels’.
The former Bendigo Pioneer and son of Geelong legend Gavin Exell had opposition defenders reeling when last turning out for Stanhope in 2017, earning a spot in the KDL interleague side where he took the mick with five majors during a roasting of Golden Rivers Football League.
Naturally, Violet Town coach Sean Horsburgh could not wait to see him on the front line with the ‘V’ at his chest.
“Jack is obviously a quality player and we’re really happy to have him on board,” Horsburgh said.
“He’ll be looking to make his mark and having him will make us more unpredictable up forward.”
That element of unpredictability is sure to serve the Towners well in 2022, because as Horsburgh pointed out, this season opposition teams only had one defensive instruction: Guard Mellington.
But put the milestone man alongside a player who certainly knows how to split the sticks in Exell, and it sends a warning shot — and a serious one at that — to the rest of the competition.
“Last year Josh kicked about three-quarters of our goals, so having Jack just gives us another dimension and more firepower up front,” Horsburgh said.
“I think he’ll help out Josh in respect to his game — when defenders know where the footy is going, they put about two or three defenders on him, so that will free him up.
“It looks like there will be quite a few good sides in the KDL next year, so we’ll have to keep bridging the gap between us and the other teams.”
Another outfit busy bolstering its list with notable recruits is Dookie United.
The Thunder has conducted a savvy bit of business by picking up Thomas Cook and Josh Kezerle from Shepparton United, who will assist in Dookie’s charge forward next season.
Both will play influential roles for Daniel Burness and Jack Threlfall’s side, with Cook plugging a hole in defence while Kezerle is set to run amok as a versatile utility for the black and teal.
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