Coburg are delighted to announce the signing of Pat Lawlor from the Box Hill Hawks for the 2017 season.
Lawlor has decided to join the Lions, seeking more assured senior opportunities having spent five seasons at the Box Hill City Oval for 58 senior games and 46 goals.
Graduating from the Eastern Ranges in 2011, he joined Box Hill and made his senior debut in 2012. Cementing himself as a regular in the senior sides 2013 season, Lawlor would be cruelly omitted after the qualifying final, and missed out on the Premiership. He would manage nine senior games in 2014 and play in the losing Development League Grand Final.
Lawlor would re-establish himself in 2015- managing 13 goals from 16 senior games, including a season high of four against Casey late in the year, and would be a part of the Grand Final loss to Williamstown. After a promising start to 2016 where he was named in the leadership group and was among Box Hill’s better performers, Lawlor fell out of favor and spent the last month in the Development League competition, however still polled considerably well in Box Hill’s best & fairest count.
At 23, Lawlor joins the likes of ex Hawks team mates Tom Goodwin, Peter McEvoy and Jake Kalanj at Piranha Park. He also reunites with High Performance Manager Derek McConn.
Upon signing with the Lions, Lawlor was excited to be continuing his career at Piranha Park. “I’m looking forward to a fresh start, giving it a go somewhere new at a stand-alone club.”
Coburg List Manger Sebastian Spagnuolo was delighted to have secured a player of Lawlor’s caliber early in the off season.
“We’re really pleased and excited to announce Patty Lawlor as our first signing of the off season. Patty will bring a wealth of experience to our club and comes from the successful and proven Box Hill system and the Eastern Ranges program before that. Patty’s ability to not only kick goals but also play some quality midfield minutes along with his fanatical pressure that he applies will endear him to our Lions faithful.”
With big game experience, elite speed and the capabilities of playing as a midfielder or medium forward, the signing of Pat is a crucial one, as his experience and leadership will be of huge value to the Lions, something that was desperately lacking at crucial moments throughout the 2016 season.
