A bit of luck led to the Sunbury Lions signing a long time captain and best and fairest winner for the Ballarat Football League season.
The Lions have been reasonably quiet on the recruiting front having locked in most of the group that took them to a grand final last year.
Lions’ coach Matt White said football manager Nathan Webb had done a lot of hard work to sign everyone and gave them a big head start.
The biggest name signing is Keenan O’Shea, who crosses from Caroline Springs where he was captain.
Lions coach Matt White said players like O’Shea don’t come around that often.
“We had luck last year with Myles Gollant falling into our lap and we’ve had luck with Keenan,” he said.
“Our boys were training at our oval and saw Keenan training at the oval. He lives in Sunbury and was looking somewhere closer to home for convenience.
“He trained with us before Christmas to see where he fits with us. He’s got leadership and is a club man.
“He does everything right wherever he is. Caroline Springs he made the team better and hopefully he’s even better at the Sunbury Lions.”
Pearce joins the Lions from the Calder Cannons and Strathmore.
He is currently “training the house down” for North Melbourne’s Victorian Football League side.
Aaron Melis is the other signing coming across from Kangaroo Flat.
The Lions midfield will also add back in Cody Bramble and Josh Guthrie, who suffered season ending injuries last year.
The pair along with Fraser Ampulski and Paddy Scanlon, who both suffered serious injuries in the grand final, are yet to start training.
“The progress is good and hopefully everyone is good for round one,” White said.
White said they had put the feelers out in regards to getting Geelong premiership player and former Sunbury Lion Cam Guthrie back to the club but that wasn’t looking like it would happen.
The Lions are already back on track in the second half of pre-season.
Having had a lighter period before Christmas,they returned on 12 January and were ready to ramp it up.
White said Paul Sahlberg, who runs their fitness programs, had upped the ante and so had the coaches as they look to get one step further.
“Darley won’t drop off, Melton won’t drop off,” he said.
“Bacchus Marsh is on the rise and North Ballarat appears to get its VFL players back full time.
“The league is getting better.
“Clubs aren’t going to stop coming after us and we want to have a go at Darley and made amends for four losses last year.”
In a positive sign for the Lions, they are set to have an under-18 team back up after not having the numbers last year.
“We’ve now got the 18s boys into the group and we’re upskilling them as much as we can with the game plan for the club,” White said.
