Bulls beef up for 2018 season

Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault’s 2016 joint best and fairest winner Eli Smith has joined ex-Lion Ryan McKinlay at the Harvey Bulls for the 2018 season.

Bulls coach Paul Fimmano told the South Western Times that Smith had approached the club after his friends McKinlay and Rhys Anzellino both signed on for this year.

Fimmano said he was excited about what the experienced players would bring to the club, adding that Reece Blechynden has decided to become the club’s colts coach.

Adding to the trio of big recruits is former Bulls, Carey Park and Southerners ruckman Michael Robinson, who will add depth to the club’s ruck division.

Harvey local Dane Crognale has also decided to play for the Bulls, having won the 2016 Boekeman Medal for Dowerin-Wylie in the Mortlock Football League.

Fimmano said the players wanted to come to the club and help the Bulls win their inaugural SWFL premiership.

“What I like is that a lot of them are locally based,” he said.

“We believe that the work we have done to be where we are and the culture we have, people now want to be a part of that.”

Fimmano said the next step for the Bulls was to get into the top-three at the end of the season.

“I think we have shown in the past three years that we can sustain our competitive edge and I think for us to put that into a premiership now we have to land in the top three,” he said.

“We also need to keep building depth and have strong reserves and colts sides.”

Fimmano said he had felt the club was starting to achieve its goal of being an attractive team to play for.