LIAM DURKIN
FOOTBALL
MID GIPPSLAND
By LIAM DURKIN
MEENIYAN-DUMBALK UNITED has secured arguably the biggest physical recruit for season 2023.
Man-mountain Darren Sheen will suit up for the Demons next year.
The journeyman forward has kicked buckets of goals across Gippsland, with stints at Maffra and Cora Lynn, as well as Doveton, Narre Warren and Heathmont.
His time at Maffra in the Gippsland League was most impressive.
He won two league goal-kicking awards, booting 96 and 100 goals in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
In 2013, he set a Maffra record with 17 goals in one game.
He kicked five goals and was best on ground for Maffra in their one-point Grand Final loss in 2017.
MDU had a bit of a strange season in 2022, with five of their first six games decided by 15 points or less.
The Demons then lost their next four games convincingly, before defeating premiership fancies Foster in Round 11.
It proved to be a false dawn – they didn’t win another game until the last round of the regular season.
MDU ended 11th of 13 teams with five wins to their credit.
With Sheen now inside 50, the Demons will be hoping he can help them further in their quest.
WHILE on the subject of key forwards, Yallourn Yallourn North pair Keenan Hughes and Dean MacDonald have recommitted to the Jets.
Hughes was best-on-ground with nine goals in the North Gippsland Football-Netball League Grand Final this year, as YYN took home the flag.
Having both players going around again will no doubt be pleasing for returning coach Barrie
Burnett, especially after some talk of MacDonald making a return to Morwell in the Gippsland League.
Elsewhere, other NGFNL clubs have made coaching announcements.
Jordan Fenech will coach Churchill, going at it solo after serving as co-coach with Tim Darby this year.
Ray Burgess has been appointed coach of Glengarry, and has enticed brother Steven over from Gormandale as an assistant.
Yarram will be led by league best-and-fairest Boadie Motton and 11-time club best-and-fairest Griffin Underwood.
The Demons will be without Corbin Sutherland, who has signed at Warragul, coached by former AFL player and Yarram boy Jed Lamb, who is good mates with Sutherland.
