Grubbers recommit for 2022

Skipper Jake Wilkie will don the red and white again next season. (Justin Flynn)

Ocean Grove has re-signed a host of senior players for next year’s Bellarine Football League season.

Among the players to put pen to paper are captain Jake Wilkie, vice-captain Cam Marchbank – who has had a mammoth season in defence- ruckman Kobe Annand, Jack Rawlings and Will Brohm.

Tall forward Bailey Cameron, Myles Fletcher, forward Harley Pearce, midfielder Oliver Monteith, Nick Chapman, John Lange, defender Josh Gummer, Connor Pickett, Kye Annand, Joe McDonald have also recommitted to the club.

It’s a show of solidarity for the club, which returned to the finals this year for the first time since 2017.

The Grubbers haven’t won a premiership since the ‘fourpeat’ of 2000 to 2003, but look in better shape than they have been for years with a swag of home-grown talent on the list.

“We’re really excited that the majority of our senior players have already committed to 2022, and some beyond that on longer term arrangements,” Ocean Grove coach Pete Davey said.

“I have an enormous amount of respect for the boys who stuck fat at the end of 2019, these are the players who have laid solid foundations for a successful era and having spoken to a number of them post-signing, the key theme was that they are excited about what the future of the club looks like and their decision to re-commit was an easy one because they don’t want to miss out on that.”

Justin Flynn