It’s not officially the off-season for the GFNL for another fortnight, but Lara has landed the first recruiting blow for 2025.
Cats coach Brett Henderson has confirmed the arrival of son Darby from VFL club Williamstown following the Seagulls’ exit from the finals on the weekend.
Darby, who played nine of his 54 VFL games this year but none after Round 15 after failing to get back into the team following a concussion, is no stranger to the GFNL.
The 25-year-old has had Grovedale as his interchange club, including this year when he featured in the opening-round loss to South Barwon.
“It’s a good feeling to have him on board; if he didn’t choose to come to Lara, I might have had to question my parenting,” Henderson Senior said with a smile.
“He’s certainly going to add a fair bit to us, not only on-field but certainly off-field as well, because I think he’s got some good leadership qualities and experience from VFL footy.
“He’s coming to us in his prime; he’s only just turned 25, so we get 2-3 really good years out of him and see what happens after that.”
Henderson is confident Darby’s signing will create a ripple effect as Lara looks to attract more talent to Bisinella Oval.
“He’s got a good little network himself, so we’re pretty hopeful we can get a couple of his good mates to come out and have a run with us,” Henderson said.
“It’s all based around quality people first, and then, hopefully, they contribute on-field as well.”
Henderson says how he uses Darby will depend on how Lara’s lineup looks.
“I don’t want to build the whole side around him; I want to have some options,” he said.
“I think he can play back, forward, and mid, so I’ll have a look at that.”
Henderson has confirmed one departure, with young defender Ben O’Brien joining GDFNL club North Geelong.
“I met with Ben the other night, but he’s got his reasons to go out there,” he said.
“One of them (is) Ben’s building a house. He’s a young guy and all that sort of stuff, and financially, he’s probably being pretty well looked after.
“While you’re disappointed, you can also understand the reasoning.”
X: @krockfootball
