BFL recruiting coup: Brennan now a Ballarat Swan

THE Ballarat Swans have scored the Ballarat Football League’s biggest coup so far this summer, recruiting ex-AFL footballer Luke Brennan for the approaching season.The ex-Hawthorn and Sydney Swans player, who played with VAFA premier division club Old Scotch last year, has agreed to terms with the BFL grand finalist and will begin training with the Dahlsens Swans within the next three weeks.Ballarat president Shane Manley said the Swans’ efforts to lure Brennan to Dahlsens Park began over a year ago.“(Director of coaching) John Northey and I approached Luke last year,” Manley said. “He is a friend of (Ballarat full forward) Mark Nunn and Mark said there might be interest in him coming here.“Luke told us then he wanted to play another season with Scotch College. When we approached him this year, he told us he was interested.”Manley said the Swans had a one-year agreement with Brennan, who would provide an injection of experience following the departure of up to six players from last year’s grand final team.“He is also friends with the Sewells and quite a few other players at the club, his family lives in Horsham and his girlfriend’s family also lives in Ballarat,” Manley said. “The both of them have spent a lot of time back in Ballarat over the years, and will now spend more time here as part of the Swans family.”From Horsham, Brennan played 20 games for the Ballarat Rebels – 10 in 2001 and 10 in 2002 – and was also an under-16 all-Australian when he was an AIS-AFL scholarship holder.He was selected at pick eight in the 2002 AFL draft by the Hawks, after playing for Vic Country in the National under-18 championship. Delisted by Hawthorn at the end of 2006 after 19 games in four seasons, Brennan was rookie listed by the Swans in 2007 and played a further nine AFL matches.The 25-year-old is also a musician and was runner-up in the AFL Footy Show’s singing competition.The Swans are likely to lose ruckman Josh Caldow, who is training with VFL club Werribee, while Will McGregor has left to join St Mary’s in the Geelong Football League and Aaron Brennan has joined Dunnstown. In other departures, Chris Thornton is moving to Chicago and Sam Harkin has arrived in Ireland to play Gaelic football.Ballarat has played BFL finals for the past five years in a row, with two grand final appearances.