Coburg are pleased to announce the signing of Jonty Neaves from the Bendigo Football League’s Eaglehawk.
Born on the Gold Coast, Neaves moved to Bellingen in Northern New South Wales when he was 10 years old, before moving to Coffs Harbour to play with Satwell Toormina. He became recognized as one of the regions more talented juniors, resulting in junior state representative selection and was a part of the Sydney Swans Academy.
Neaves would move with his family to Victoria in 2016, where he played with the Bendigo Pioneers and Bendigo League Senior Football with Eaglehawk. Neaves would also appear with Williamstown’s Development League side in 2016, on one occasion.
Staying in Bendigo for 2017, Neaves would remain with Eaglehawk, playing in its losing Grand Final side. However, his performances didn’t go un noticed- receiving an invite to Coburg’s Preseason.
Although it would result in Neaves failing to be offered a contract for 2018, he returned to Eaglehawk with the aim of further improvement & development. Putting the disappointments of 2017’s Grand Final loss behind him, Neaves had a standout 2018, appearing in the Bendigo Interleague side and winning best on ground honours in Eaglehawk’s Premiership victory, remarkably after having suffered a dislocated elbow earlier in the finals, dominating in the ruck.
Neaves will play with EDFL Premier Division One club Glenroy if not selected at VFL level. Despite been considerably undersized for a ruckman, Neaves boasts outstanding athleticism, with a good marking ability.
GM Sebastian Spagnuolo was pleased to have Neaves on board for 2019 having fallen short of a spot on the list for 2018.
“Jonty tried to make our list in season 2018, and at the time we thought he needed a little more senior football to be VFL ready. He played in 2018 at Eaglehawk where he won a Senior Premiership in the Bendigo Football League. Jonty has shown our coaches and his teammates to be a courageous, competitive and agile player that can play forward and also in the ruck with his great leap.”
“We are looking forward to working with Jonty in 2019 and we’re excited to see how he develops further,” said Spagnuolo.
Join Jonty as a Lion in 2019 by clicking here to sign up as a member this season!
This story was first shared with our Subscribers Exclusive Newsletter, “The Roar.” Stay tuned for more news throughout the off-season by subscribing to The Roar HERE, where you can get all the Exclusive News, and up to date information ahead of the 2019 season.
