Subiaco Sign Star Trio
SUBIACO has moved swiftly to cover the losses of former AFL ruckman Michael Rix and star midfielder Kyal Horsley to the Gold Coast Suns by signing a trio of young guns for the upcoming WAFL season.
Four-game AFL discard Joseph Daye will join Port Melbourne tall Callum Sinclair and South Fremantle’s 2010 best-and-fairest winner Nathan Phillips at the Lions.
The three signings important in covering the additional omissions of star group Ali Pickett, Chad Cossom, Des Headland and Ben Keevers (retired) and Danny Hughes who returned home to Melbourne for family reasons.
Subiaco coach Chris Waterman said Daye, Sinclair and Phillips provide a like-for-like swap with the players lost.
“We’ve lost Shaun Hildebrandt so Daye at halfback or wing covers that,” he said.
“Phillips, he’s more wing or half forward but can play inside so that helps cover the Danny Hughes, Kyal Horsley area.
“With Sinclair, Brad Stevenson, Blake Broadhurst up front, and with Clancy Wheeler we’ve got that option to go tall up forward and we did it in the second half of the year with a fair bit of success.”
Daye who had been with the Gold Coast Suns since 2009 playing in their TAC campaigns played four-games in 2011 before becoming one of nine players delisted at the end of their first AFL season.
A call from Former Lions player and ABC broadcaster Rod Willett suggesting Subiaco look at Daye saw Waterman call Premiership teammate and Gold Coast Suns coach Guy McKenna who urged him to take on the 21-year-old.
“He’s had three years on the Gold Coast list so he’s had a fair bit of experience at the AFL level he’s keen to get back into the AFL so he’ll be keen for a big year,” Waterman said of Daye.
“He’s got a big tank, he’s a good size at just over six foot and a big left foot on him and some good pace. Big ovals over here so if we can use his run and if we can get him the ball he could be damaging.”
While Phillips (pictured left) is moving to his third WAFL club the Halls Head junior arrives at the Lions not without a sense of familiarity after being coached by Waterman at Peel Thunder.
“Nathan won the South’s fairest and best two years ago. He’s now five or six seasons into a career so he’s very experienced and really working hard so he’s going to be a dangerous player around the centre-half forward area,” Waterman said.
It was another prior relationship that drew the third draftee Sinclair (pictured right) to Medibank Stadium and Football Manager Luke Sanders said recruiting the Port Melbourne ruckman had been a priority in replacing the loss of Rix.
“It was key was to get a big tall ruckman to replace someone like Rix. Sinclair is only young; he’s 22, he can develop into a good ruckman. He was a first-change ruckman for Port Melbourne in the VFL,” Sanders said.
“He’s got a connection with Patty Hassett as they both used to play at Port Melbourne so it was a matter of making an offer to him and transferring his studies to get him to agree to relocating to Perth.”
The added list depth to be invaluable for Subiaco with the added matches of the second edition of the Foxtel Cup.
“It’s a big year coming up with Foxtel Cup,” Waterman said.
“No byes this year if we go well in the Foxtel Cup.”
