The Coburg Football Club have gained the signatures of some key players as the club progresses in it’s plans for the exciting 2021 season of the VFL/East Coast Tier 2 competition.
Amongst the first Lions to commit to the football club are our 2020 leadership group members Peter McEvoy, Ryan Exon, Jacob Ballard, Jesse Corigliano, Luke Bunker, Mitch Podhajski and Tom Silvestro who were all announced as members of the club’s leadership group for the 2020 season.
Exon, Co-Captain in 2019 and 2020, has played 51 games for Coburg since joining from Frankston will enter his 5th season as a Coburg player and provides tremendous leadership in the club’s backline.
Exon’s fellow co-Captain Peter McEvoy has also re-committed for the 2021 season and will enter his 6th season as a Coburg player, providing great leadership, experience and goal kicking power to the club’s forward line.
Vice-Captain in 2020, Jesse Corigliano has committed to the club for what will be his 7th year as a Lion, again making him the longest serving Coburg player and Jesse will be adding to his 52 club senior games in 2021.
Jacob Ballard and Tom Silvestro were key signings for the club heading into the 2020 season and both of the former Richmond VFL players are committed to the club for 2021 and with over 65 VFL games to each of them, they provide outstanding experience and leadership to the club’s midfield.
By committing to the club for the 2021 season, Luke Bunker is on track to reach his 50th senior level game for the club, he currently sits on 38 senior games and will look to improve further on his 2019 season which was a coming of age year for the hard working midfielder.
Mitch Podhajski is the 7th leadership group member to commit to the club and at 21 years of age still, he’s another that will be looking to take his game to another level in 2021.
Coburg FC’s members and supporters should be buoyed by these first 7 players that the club has announced as re-signings for the very exciting 2021 season.
When asked about these influential re-signings, Senior Coach Andrew Sturgess said “Locking away our club leaders was highly important because they are all quality people who provide so much to our club beyond being good footballers. They are fantastic role models as semi professional athletes who display the qualities and attributes required to succeed at this level, but more generally they model the values of good people who positively impact society and give back to our Coburg community and family. We are lucky to have them as part of our club as I know how hungry and driven they are to bring success back to the Coburg Lions.”
About the club’s current environment and culture, Sturgess went onto say “One of the major disappointments of 2020 was the fact we didn’t get to display our connectedness, unity and fun environment in an on field aspect. The great thing is that the culture and environment within our club developed dramatically leading into the 2020 season and has only strengthened throughout 2020 in trying circumstances. We owe a lot of credit to our on field leaders for both developing that over last pre season, and nurturing and growing it throughout this unique year. I’m extremely proud of our on field leaders who have played a big role in ensuring there is alignment of the mission, vision and values of our club and their constant endeavours to ensure everyone at our clubs feels valued as a person.”
And when asked about the overall makeup of Coburg’s playing list for 2021, Sturgess explained “The major focus for our club has been retention of our 2020 list. Unfortunately due to list reductions and some parameters within the list that we need to work with for the 2021 season, it means that we have had to let go of some quality people and players that were obviously on our list ahead of the 2020 season for a reason, so I want to acknowledge those guys first. But I couldn’t be more excited for how our list is shaping up heading into 2021. We have had an overwhelming response from our playing group wanting to recommit for 2021, so for the second year in a row, retention will be as high as it has been since we have been a stand-alone club. I think that is a great reflection of the culture and environment we have created, that so many people want to return and be part of our club. What that has enabled us to do is be really selective with our new recruits, and really target what we need from a positional perspective. We have had some great conversations with potential new signings and look forward to those developing further.”
Over the next few days and weeks the club will continue to announce both re-singings and new player signings as it prepares to succeed in 2021.
You can play your part and commit to the club as a member in 2021 by heading to following the club on all social media channels and ensuring that when the 2020 membership campaign is launched that you’re part of the club by becoming a member.
#WeAreCoburg
