Harrison, who coached Nagambie two years ago, and has also been a star in the Goulburn Valley (premiership player with Rochester) and Murray league (league best and fairest while playing with Tongala) will work with Adamson on the bench on match day.
“Harro and I have known each other for a fair while and it is good to get him back to the club,” Adamson said
The club has also signed goalkicking midfielder Joey Nesci from Northern Football League club Macleod.
He has big shoes to fill with the loss of mid-field brothers Ryan and Luke Semmel, who depart the club with Josh Harrison, Chris Gleeson and Josh Dickerson.
Adamson said the club had concentrated on its key position recruiting, with assistant coach Adam Lovison expected to fill the centre half back slot and Jake Rennie likely to fill the centre half forward slot.
Rennie last played at Quambatook and will join goalkicking older brother Tomas in the Lions den.
The younger Rennie brother is a more athletic version of his brother and was a premiership player at Murchison.
“We think we’ve done well with our key positions and picked up a couple of mobile taller guys,” Adamson said.
“On paper we had a really strong team last year, but let ourselves down in preliminary final.
“We are looking for improvement on what we had last year.”
Dual best and fairest winner Alec Young has been training strongly, having played most of last season in the reserves because of a hip injury.
The club is training on Monday and Wednesday and has three practice matches on its schedule, including a Friday, March 17, night game against Huntly at Epsom.
They will also face last year’s Heathcote league grand finalist Mount Pleasant (at Stanhope) a week later on a Saturday and then Pyramind Hill is the final hit out on April 1.
Adamson said Melbourne based players were travelling to Stanhope once a month in the pre-season to train with the club.
— Jaydon Stiles will be the spearhead for Merrigum Football Club in more ways that one this season, the new Bulldogs coach expecting to spend a lot of time playing out of the goalsquare.
Merrigum has lost 64 goals from last year as goalkicking mid-fielders Jack Sinclair (the two time club best and fairest who is this year playing with Tongala), Jacob and Ryan Martin have left the club.
The new look team will also be without man mountain Rhys Bucktin (17 goals) and is designing a new game plan around its new personnel.
“We will be very structured this year and game style is something we are working on in the pre-season,” Stiles said.
“While I’ve given the players a licence to take the game on and give the spectators a chance to be entertained, we will also be working to a new game style.”
Stiles kicked 40 goals from 14 games in the Golden Rivers league last year, including two bags of six, and will bring former teammate Kansas Varker with him to the Bulldogs.
“He is a pretty athletic player, who can play at either end and is even big enough to pinch hit in the ruck,” Stiles said
Varker may have to spend some time in that role as the Bulldogs go into 2023 without key big man Jake Ross.
The Bulldogs are now training on Tuesday and Thursday and will confirm its practice match schedule by the end of this week.
In the defensive end the club has lost key defenders Tom Cooper and Darcy Collins, the latter who has secured new employment in Queensland.
Stiles will be relying on younger brother Josh to fill a key defensive post, but the versatile 188cm player can perform at both ends.
“I will know a lot more after the pre-season games. I haven’t seen any of the guys play, apart from the boys who have come to the club with me,” Stiles said.
