Sebastopol has entered the new year with a recruiting flurry as it focuses on reinforcing its emergence as a Ballarat Football League power.
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The Burra has unveiled five new faces - the first additions to its list since the appointment of Michael Searl as new non-playing coach early in the off-season.
Liam Stow (North Warrnambool), Adam Haslett (Ararat Rats), Connor O'Shea (Maryborough Magpies), Jacob Breguet (Merbein) and Michael Lockyer (Lismore-Derrinallum) make up Sebastopol's initial wave of recruits.
Sebastopol football manager Shawne Dummett said it was a pleasing outcome as the club looked to build up its list.
He said the club was conscious of the need to increase depth if it was to consolidate its place at the top end of the competition after reaching last year's grand final and having this group of newcomers was just what it needed.
Stow is already a familiar face at Marty Busch Reserve after training with Sebastopol last year while attending Federation University.
Dummett said Stow, who stood at 193cm, had made his mark at North Warrnambool over the past three years since graduating from under-18.5s, although he had been restricted by injury last season.
He joins with the potential to play at either end of the ground.
Lockyer - a cousin of assistant coach Tony Lockyer - arrives as a two-time Mininera and District league best and fairest, having topped the voting in 2017 and 2018.
The Ballarat-based 29-year-old has also been a prolific goalkicking midfielder, with 76, 67 and 71 in the past three seasons as well as being a premiership player.
Jacob Breguet, 23, is another addition to Sebastopol's tall stocks, which will also be bolstered by the return from injury of Nick Hausler (broken ankle) and Jack McNab (torn tendon in finger).
Bregeut grew up in Ballarat, but has played all his football in the Sunraysia league, chalking up close to 70 senior games since debuting in 2014 while still playing under-18s.
Haslett, who has made more than 50 appearances with Ararat over the past four season, will be looking to slot into a defensive role, while O'Shea will add to an already high quality midfield.
O'Shea, who trained with the Burra last season, played a handful of games with Bendigo Pioneers in the TAC Cup in 2017 and 2018 while at the same establishing himself in the Maryborough senior line-up in the Bendigo league.
