VERSATILE big man Tim Currie has rejoined his junior club Eltham in a major boost to the Panthers’ hopes of an immediate return to Northern Football League Football Division 1
The former Williamstown and Northern Blues key-position player will return to the Northern Football League as a one-point player, adding to the significance of his signing.
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After playing 22 TAC Cup games with Northern Knights, Currie embarked on a six-year VFL career, playing 30 matches (29 Development League, one senior) for the Blues and 64 games (45 senior, 19 Development League) at the Seagulls.
Panthers coach Paul King said Currie would likely be slated for centre-half-back, but floated the possibility of deploying the 194cm player on a wing.
“I actually watched him play in a final this year and he was in the backline at one stage, he was in the forward line, I think he even spent time on the wing,” King said.
“I know he spent time on the wing for Williamstown during the year.
“I look at him at this stage as being very versatile. (There’s) no set position for someone like that.”
King said Currie, who will play alongside his brother Paul, would likely be one of the premier talls in the NFL.
“Anyone that has played that amount of VFL footy will come back to the northern league and be a really strong player,” he said.
“Without putting too much pressure on the bloke, who we want to come back and enjoy footy, my expectation is that he will be a really strong contributor.”
The Panthers have also regained the services of midfielder Brendan O’Sullivan, who spent 2017 with Eastern Football League club Balwyn, and announced the addition of former Collingwood player Brent Macaffer last month.
Eltham has attracted more than 70 players in the opening weeks of pre-season, largely consisting of its healthy crop of under-19 players.
The Panthers hope to enter two under-19 teams next year and expose several of those players to senior football.
“There’s a lot of strong kids coming through who will be able to really develop in second division,” King said.
“Hopefully when we are ready to get back into first division … these kids will have a lot of experience.”
Eltham will play in Division 2 for the first time since 2002 next year.
