Wagga United off-season recruitment drive may have momentarily stalled amid the dual registration saga but coach Travis Weir is already back on the saddle – and he’s brought the cavalry with him.
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Weir has enlisted five new recruits ahead of his 2019 Pascoe Cup tilt with Junee and South Wagga providing the troops.
Junee skipper Adrian Merrigan headlines the transfers after committing to United this year while veteran Adrian Weir and young guns Ethan Sainsbury and Harrison Weir will also farewell bid farewell to the Jaguars.
Merrigan, along with standout goalkeeper Isaac Cooper, dominated in a misfiring side last year and will bolster United’s already impressive squad.
“Merrigan’s a terrific player, he’s real quality and I think he’ll be able to bring that quality into our squad,” Weir said.
“Then having my brother Adrian (Weir) coming across will be great too – he’s been around for a while and can play anywhere – plus we’ve got young Ethan as well.
“Ethan’s had a good run the past year with Junee and I think he can really push for a first grade spot.
“Harry’s my nephew and he’s probably got a bit to go but he’ll be a good addition to the squad.”
Two former Warriors will also join the Duke of Kent Oval faithful with reigning club best and fairest Salah Khodedah and Salar Hasan signing on under Weir.
Khodedah took out South Wagga’s highest individual honour last year after a standout season for the ninth-placed Warriors while Hasan returns to the Pascoe Cup field – albeit in a different strip – after a break from competitive football.
“They’ll be really good for the club, we’re excited to have them on board,” Weir said.
United’s first pre-season training session on Monday saw close to 40 players attend and there’s high hopes for a strong squad mentality in the coming season.
“We’ve had plenty of interest in the club and lots of people saying they want to come down, so I think the club’s definitely in a good spot,” Weir said.
“We’ve got young guys like Kein Crevatin and Damon Hurst who will be pushing for first grade spots and I think that competition will filter down through the grades and make us a really strong club this year.
“I know the women have a similar mindset with how they’re going about it and, yeah, it’s pretty exciting for us.”
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