BELL Post Hill is poised to unveil more signings after luring allrounder Simon Anderson and star paceman Travis Faulkhead back.
New playing coach Anderson, pictured, hinted the Panthers were close to securing a handful of recruits as they prepared for another season in GCA1.
He also made a bold statement that Bell Post Hill had returned to top-flight cricket for good, declaring he doesn’t want to be a yo-yo club of past seasons.
“We’ve got a good three or four guys that are doing a pre-season with us and we hope to get them over the line,” Anderson said.
“They are all younger guys and a big aim of the coaching group is to set up a club that’s going to be a prolonged Division 1 club.
“We don’t want to go out and recruit all these players that will blow in and blow out. We’ve got seven blokes that came up from the under-17s to play in a grand final last year and they can all play cricket.
“With the right coaching and structures in place, everyone will improve.”
Faulkhead returns after a season off and has been appointed assistant coach.
Anderson, who spent three seasons with the Panthers before leading Newcomb & District to a GCA2 first XI premiership, has rejoined after a year as Geelong’s head of development.
“It was purely personal reasons for leaving Geelong,” he said. “I have a baby on the way and work commitments made it hard to commit. I had a driving feeling to still play and I hold Bell Post Hill close to my heart.
“Even though I was only there for three years it’s a great club and I still play golf and go out to dinner with a lot of them.”
Despite a step up in grade, Anderson was optimistic about the season ahead.
“There’s no reason why Bell Post Hill can’t contend for finals if we play to our potential,” he said.
“I don’t like the word potential, but if we play as a group and play to the structures and game plan, anything can happen.”
Anderson said left-arm quick Faulkhead was a “massive recruit”.
“Trav has a great cricket brain, he’s played Geelong cricket and to see his old teammates in Trent Walerys, Clinton Peake, Marc Carson and Justin Foss still playing GCA cricket, he decided that he wanted give back,” he said. “He knows how to win and has experience to teach.”