FOOTBALL
NORTH GIPPSLAND
AND you thought Kim Kardashian broke the internet.
Cowwarr has made the biggest signings of the North Gippsland football off-season, announcing the recruitment of Shannen Lange and Jack Johnstone from Sale, along with Tristen Waack and Sam Hallyburton from Traralgon.
Johnstone has coached Sale the past five seasons, and guided the Magpies to the 2022 Gippsland League Grand Final.
Lange is an elite midfielder and twice winner of the Gippsland League best-and-fairest.
Along with their time at Sale and Maffra, both Lange and Johnstone have VFL experience.
In order to sign these players, current players are apparently foregoing match payments so the Saints can stay within the North Gippsland league’s $75,000 salary cap.
“They’ve chosen success over getting a couple of hundred bucks in their pocket,” Saints coach Luke Hegarty told the Weekly Times last week.
“They’ve been down for so long and credit to them to put their hand up and make this happen.
“I’m getting the congratulations for recruiting these blokes, but I couldn’t have done it without them.
“You’ve got to play it by the book, but you need people to sacrifice. It’s exactly what’s happened.”
Pat Tainsh, who played three seasons at Sale before returning to Cowwarr this year, was instrumental in luring the pair to the Saints.
Clubs also need to fit within a total player points total each week. The Saints have applied for three extra points on top of the 45 they had this year.
Hallyburton’s dad Darren played in a flag for Cowwarr.
Next year will mark 20 years since the Saints last premiership.
(NB: Many readers are probably expecting a full scale investigative piece. There will be more to come. This is without doubt the wildest off-season I have ever seen. Some of the stuff I am hearing is absolutely staggering – Liam Durkin).
