Nick O’Brien will be joined by two former Essendon footballers when he returns to play for home club Carngham-Linton later this season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
O’Brien has confirmed Bombers great Dustin Fletcher and ex-teammate Jason Winderlich will be involved in the Saints’ round 10 Central Highlands Football League clash against Buninyong at Snake Valley.
While O’Brien and Winderlich are set to play in the match, it is unclear whether or not Fletcher will pull on the boots.
“I’d like to maybe try and twist Fletch’s arms, but if not, we’ve definitely got Fletch in a coaching capacity for the day,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien, who is free to play for the Saints due to Essendon’s VFL side having the bye the weekend of June 17, said Fletcher and Winderlich are looking forward to the occasion.
“They were really excited when I raised the opportunity to go and have a kick back there,” O’Brien, the Bombers’ VFL captain, said.
“They were both really great to me while I was playing at Essendon and welcomed me into the club, so it’s great to be able to have them come back out to where I’m from.
“Naturally, I’m hoping that there will be a lot of Essendon supporters that come that day on top of hopefully a good crowd of Buninyong and Carngham supporters as well.”
As part of the occasion, Carngham-Linton will host a function with the trio after the game.
Fletcher retired from AFL football in 2015 after 400 games in the red and black.
The 41-year-old is one of just four players to have reached the 400-game milestone at the top level and ended his career with two premierships and two All-Australian selections.
Fletcher was one of the Essendon players suspended for his involvement in the supplements saga.
Winderlich also retired in 2015, with his career spanning 129 games.
O’Brien played 14 AFL matches for the Bombers before being delisted. He then played a season for Woodville-West Torrens in the SANFL before returning to Bomberland as its VFL skipper this season.
The latest news comes during an exciting period for Carngham-Linton, which broke through for its first senior victory in more than 600 days last weekend.
The Saints beat Clunes to record their first triumph since round 17 in 2015.