Northern Jets secure the prized signing of club junior Jeromy Lucas for the 2023 Farrer League season

The Jets have snared the services of Lucas on the eve of the Farrer League season, just days out from their season opener against Marrar on Saturday.

Lucas will play 'sporadically' during the first half of the season but is then expected to be available regularly for the run into finals.

The 22-year-old Jets junior missed the best part of the last 18 months with a knee injury but spent the 2021 season at VFL club Port Melbourne.

New Northern Jets coach Jack Harper is thrilled to have Lucas on board.

"We're absolutely stoked to get another local junior, of his calibre as well, it adds another bit of depth to our whole side really," Harper said.

"He's very versatile, he's a genuine utility, he can play anywhere on the ground so to have him back at the Jets is unreal."

MORE SPORT NEWS

The signing of Lucas is the icing on the cake for the Jets after also adding Tom Alexander from Belconnen and Ryan Cox from Coolamon.

Ben Grinter has also returned to the club from Narrandera.

"Ryan Cox is a great get for us," Harper said.

"He's a tough on-baller, he can play inside and outside midfield and he's a classy user of the footy so to have him burrowing in and putting his head over it with us this year it's a massive bonus.

"He's a great guy, he's mates with all of us out here and he's fitted right in straight away.

"Tommy's great too. He's obviously adding in a lot of footy HQ and composure to our forward line and midfield. He's on the older side of our list but I think that's where we lacked a bit of experience last year and he adds plenty of that.

"It's a massive get for us, in terms of calming all of the younger blokes down."

Lucas was in draft calculations as a teenager, representing the Allies at the national under 18 championships.

COVID interrupted his 19-year-old season and he ended up at Leeton-Whitton, starring for the Crows in the AFL Riverina Championships.

He then signed at Port Melbourne but only lasted a handful of games before being struck down by injury and undergoing a knee reconstruction.

Lucas is still finishing his university degree and work placement in Melbourne but Harper did not rule him out being rushed into the team to face the Bombers at Langtry Oval on Saturday.

"Just with his uni commitments, he's probably going to miss a good chunk of the first half of the year," he said.

"We're going to try and get him back for a couple of games here and there, and see what we can work out, we'll have him for the solid back end of the year."

He is keen to utilise him in a variety of roles once he is available.

"With him just getting back into footy after 18 months off, I just want to bleed him back into the game a little bit," Harper said.

"He'll predominantly spend a lot of time forward and as he progresses and gets back into the swing of footy, no doubt he'll be playing a fair bit in the midfield and he'll show us what he's capable of.

"He's a talented player and we'll find out what position best suits him throughout the year.

"He definitely brings X-factor. He's got the height of a key position player and he's got the agility, pace and athleticism of a genuine midfielder. Add some elite ball skills and you've got a pretty complete player in all honesty."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: