Albury’s latest recruit has stressed a desire to play at the highest level was behind his move.
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Oliver McEwan was cleared by Yackandandah after the first was rejected.
“Absolutely (I want to play at that level) and to be around a professional environment,” he said.
“And with the blokes around you, why wouldn’t you want to play around them?”
Albury is chasing a record-equalling fourth successive title, spearheaded by modern-day greats, including Daniel Cross and Shaun Daly.
“My window of opportunity is now, that’s why I did it,” he said.
“Sometimes you’ve got to do what’s right for yourself and that might make some people unhappy.”
At 201 centimetres, the 28-year-old will be the league’s biggest player.
Albury says McEwan’s move had nothing to do with the knee injury to ruck Will Haberecht on March 18.
“No, he’s been at the club before, he was keen to come to us, it wasn’t necessarily that we were chasing players,” co-coach Shaun Daly said.
“We weren’t going to tell him, ‘no, go away’, in terms of wanting to better his football.
... you’ve got to do what’s right for yourself and that might make some people unhappy.
- Oliver McEwan
“Obviously the timing probably wasn’t great for Yackandandah … and I’ve no doubt he’ll be back there at some stage.”
McEwan started with the ‘Roos’, before spending a year in Albury’s thirds.
He also played in a premiership at Northcote Park in 2012.
“I’ll be back there (Yackandandah) after Albury,” McEwan said.
He was contracted to the Roos.
“We’re disappointed to lose him but we wish him all the best and hope that once he’s finished his time at Albury at that higher level, he comes back,” ‘Roos’ president Brendan Johnson said.