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GWV Rebels graduate Jordan Johnston will join his brother Matt at East Point in the Ballarat Football League this year.
Considered by many to have been unlucky not to be picked up in either the AFL national or rookie draft at the end of last year, Johnston is making a move from North Ballarat City.
Older brother and former North Ballarat Roosters VFL-listed Matt has also crossed from North City for the upcoming season.
The 18-year-old Jordan Johnston spent the past two years with the Rebels in the TAC Cup under-18 competition, kicking 21 goals in 17 games last season.
Johnston represented Victorian Country in the AFL national under-18 championships and attended national combine testing in the lead up to the drafts – finishing in the top 10 in the vertical jump.
With Ballarat no longer having a VFL team, Johnston is doing pre-season training with Carlton’s VFL team Northern Blues – one of several former Rebels hoping to earn places on VFL lists,
East Point president Gary Wilson said Johnston was an another exciting young prospect to have at the club.
He said expected Johnston to play as a half forward/midfielder, where he made his mark with the Rebels.
Wilson said the Kangaroos had also signed Cam Lovig from Daylesford and Lucas Dahlenburg from Nhill in the Wimmera league.
Lovig, who is training with VFL club Sandringham, was the CHFL rookie of the year in 2016, the same season in which he starred at under-18 representative level.
He also represented the CHFL under-19s against Southern league as part of the AFL Vic Community Championships last year.
Wilson has earmarked Lovig in as a utility/half forward, and Dahlenburg as a running half back.
Dahlenburg, who is a friend of East Point’s Jake McQueen and has relocated to Ballarat, made his senior debut with Nhill as an under-17 player in 2014.
The WFL under-18 representative has been a regular senior player for the past two years.
Jordan Johnston and Lovig add to a growing number of youngsters to have signed with East Point and doing pre-season with Victorian Football League clubs.
They join the likes of Joel Ottavi from Buninyong, Jacob Brown (Hepburn) and McQueen, who are all training with Essendon.
Wilson said it was difficult to assess exactly what roles any of these players would have at the Eastern Oval until VFL lists were finalised in March.
He said it was encouraging these youngsters had seen East Point as the club to further their football.