INS: Tom Cooper, James Ross (Tongala), Tom Schuman (Southern Mallee), Marcus Kerr
OUTS: Liam Grundy, Mason Coote, Harley Constable, Jake Gascoyne (injured)
Former Lancaster livewire James Ross is among the star recruits Merrigum has secured to improve on its six win season from 2024.
Ross played 26 games in two seasons at Tongala after playing three senior games with Kyabram in 2022. He crossed from Kyabram to Lancaster in 2019, when he was a star in 29 games in two seasons with the Wombats.
Tom Cooper returns to the kennel after playing 28 games in two seasons at Tongala. He was a part of Merrigum’s senior team since debuting as a teenager in 2017.
The pair are likely to form the ruck and rover combination and work with proven performers Shelby Lambrick, Brayden Hall, and last season’s best and fairest winner Brad Taylor.
The Bulldogs will be without Jake Gascoyne, who will miss the season with a knee injury after kicking 29 goals in six games last year.
Harley Constable, Liam Grundy, and Mason Coote have also left the kennel.
