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INJURY-ravaged Winchelesea is set to strengthen its credentials for a top-three finish, luring Lorne premiership duo Lewie Hollmer and Tom Steven.
In a major coup for the Blues who are knocking on the door of a double chance, Hollmer and Steven have agreed to join the GDFL club after returning from overseas.
It’s a bitter blow for the Dolphins, who were left reeling after a mass exodus of players following its 2013 senior premiership.
Many of Lorne’s stars, including Steve Oliver, Chris Giuricin, Joel Tipping and Boe Trickey, departed the CDFL club and joined former Dolphin coaches Drew Steven and Jason Langdon at Eastern Reserve.
Blues coach David Mensch said, pending clearances, Hollmer and Steven would bolster the side significantly.
“Tom’s a good player and Lewie’s 22-23 and he’s won a league medal in the CDFL. It’s pretty exciting for us,” Mensch said.
“We’re pushing for a top-three spot and hopefully that can happen. We play five or six of the top sides now, so it’s not an easy run but if we want to be around the mark we’ll have to earn it.”
Injuries have caused the Blues to restructure their side, with Mensch forced into the ruck in the absence of key talls Dan Hermans and Dan Wedding.
Winchelsea has also been without its first-choice midfield group of Andrew Leak (hip flexor), Ben Davis (knee) and Kane Bonner (shin splits) for a number of weeks.
Oliver was also absent against Thomson on Saturday, meaning the Blues were without its key quartet of on-ballers.
“We’ve had a shocking run,” Mensch said.
“We were after another ruckman and Lewie is a good fit. Dan (Wedding) has been good this year but he’s had injuries and Hermans has been riddled with injuries.
“It will take them (Hollmer and Steven) a few weeks to get back into it after being overseas but they give us a few options. We’ve got options galore now.”
Winchelsea lodged the clearances for both Hollmer and Steven last Thursday, just days before the July 1 cut-off.
“Once the clearance is lodged before July 1, it’s in the system and hopefully it can be done in the next couple of days,” Mensch said.
Originally published as Dolphins stars lured into Winchelsea’s net
