Melton South isn’t mucking around with its signings as it looks to raise itself from the bottom of the Ballarat Football League ladder.
Having announced Brendan Fevola as playing co-coach, the Panthers last week named two gun onballers they hope will get the ball to him in the forward line.
The first signing announcement was multiple league best and fairest winner Mark Lynch.
Lynch has twice won the Essendon District Football League Dick Reynolds Medal for the premier division’s best player, first with Essendon Doutta Stars in 2012 and then with Aberfeldie in its undefeated 2015 premiership year.
He was also originally named joint winner of the Northern Football League’s Frank Rosbrook Trophy with Cameron Cloke in 2013. An administrative error in the round one votes later saw him stripped of the trophy.
Panthers co-coach Sean Triplett said Lynch was the type of player they had been looking for.
“He’s an elite midfielder with elite running capabilities,” he said.
“He’s a real professional and one of the best midfielders going round. He’s a winner and knows what’s required.”
Triplett said it was a case of the right timing to induce Lynch to make the move from Aberfeldie.
“I’ve just followed his football over the years,” he said.
“He has a young daughter and is about to get married, and he wants to finish his footy in country footy.
“Just the luck for us. The idea of playing with ‘Fev’ is something he loved. The idea of finishing at Melton South and creating something from nothing interested him.”
Late last week, the club announced the signing of Shannon Broadbent.
Like Lynch, Broadbent is a best and fairest winner. Broadbent won the Western Region Football League’s Barry Priest Medal in 2013.
Broadbent has tasted premiership success more than most, having played in seven grand finals for seven premierships.
Last season, he played at Westmeadows and then Kangaroo Flat.
Broadbent’s step brother, Jordan Madafferi, already plays for the Panthers.
Triplett said they were expecting to announce some more key signings in coming weeks.
