Jets welcome two home as they continue locals-first approach

The Jets have lured former juniors Max Harper and Paddy Bray back to the club for next season.

Harper, the younger brother of coach Jack, has spent the past three seasons at AFL South Coast club Figtree, where he played in their back-to-back premierships.

Harper has also spent time at Belconnen and Temora, where he impressed as a teen up in first grade in 2018.

Bray has spent the last three seasons at Coolamon, where he managed 33 first grade games. He is no stranger to the Jets having already amassed 81 first grade games at the club.

Jack Harper was thrilled to have them both back.

"Max has been in Wollongong for a few years and won a few premierships at Figtree. He's played a few first grade games at the Jets but never had a full season of senior footy here," Harper said.

"He'll be an outside midfielder for us, probably play on a wing. You could play him forward or half-back. He's a pretty good mover, he's a silky mover, he's a pretty good runner and he's got a great kick on him.

"He should be pretty good for us I think.

"Paddy is a local junior. He played a few senior years when he was younger. He's a half-back, wing as well.

"The beauty about both of them is they are so versatile, you can probably throw them anywhere."

The Jets stormed to their first grand final appearance in 16 years this season on the back of a predominantly all-local group.

Harper was happy to continue that theme with their first recruits for 2024.

"Absolutely. That's been our major focus in recruitment and everything moving forward is backing our local talent in and looking after the community," he said.

"That's the full culture we've got out there and we'll continue to back that strategy as we move forward."

While the Jets have welcomed two on board, and hope to announce more soon, there are question marks over a couple of their key men.

The Canberra-based Tom Alexander and Lenny Haddrill are yet to decide their plans, while two-time league medallist and former coach Mitch Haddrill is weighing up his options and believed to be considering retirement again.

Best and fairest winner, Jeromy Lucas, will know more about his playing plans once he has secured employment.

Harper is confident the Jets are well-placed to contend again.

"I think our finals series showed that we've got a lot of depth in our club at the minute," he said.

"We had a couple of major guys get pretty big injuries that were left out of finals games and it showed that other blokes can step up and play the role.

"I think without losing too many and building on that depth and sticking with our local talent I think we're going to be there and thereabouts again.

"I think our younger group will benefit massively out of the year that we've just had and hopefully everyone's a fair bit hungrier to go one step further and they've learnt a lot about how to win games of footy."

The Jets will begin pre-season training in January and already have one trial game locked in for early March against Leeton-Whitton.

The Jets will open the Farrer League season with a grand final rematch against The Rock-Yerong Creek.