A youthful Queenscliff squad has been strengthened by the arrival of Grovedale defender Luke Ford.
The 27-year-old brings 134 games of GFNL senior experience to the Couta Bowl.
Ford played in the reserve grade win over Modewarre, and coach Heath Jamieson has all but confirmed he’ll make his Queenscliff debut in Saturday’s trip to Anglesea.
“We haven’t had our final selection yet. But one thing that Luke’s done is he has done a fair pre-season,” Jamieson said.
“It’s not like he’s been sitting at home.
“Although it hasn’t been with us, we speak with our group quite regularly, and they know Queenscliff has forever been a pretty tough team to recruit players to.
“If we are getting someone like Luke into our club, we don’t want to have them running around in the early game too much.
“It’s a hard standard for someone of his calibre to get involved; sometimes, the easier the game, the harder it is for a player like Luke to perform.”
Jamieson revealed he had been in discussions with Ford about making the move since October.
“He wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do with his footy, and at that stage, he decided to stay at Grovey,” Jamieson said.
“But then (he had) a change of heart right at the start of the season, which we’re happy with.
“Already, we can see why we wanted to get him into the footy club.
“He’s got leadership skills; he’s the coach of a local cricket club (St Peter’s); he’s 27 years of age; he’s played over 100 games of GFL footy.
“(He’s) a good communicator: a good ball user: just someone that we probably needed.”
Ford is likely to be among at least two changes for the meeting with the Roos at Ellimatta Reserve.
Lara recruit Lachie McKane will return after being unavailable for the loss to the Warriors.
However, Jamieson won’t be able to consider former Geelong Falcon Jai McGough (hamstring), ruck Michael Randone (hamstring) and Jake Lindrea (shoulder).
X: @krockfootball
