Wodonga has suffered a double-barrelled blow, losing brothers Jackson and Tom Heagney-Steart.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
IN OTHER NEWS:
- Lavington launch another raid on bush with Nick Perryman signing with Panthers
- Church fair adds art and flower display to usual favourites
- Border Bullets suffer washout in their debut T20 match
Tom will stay in Melbourne with Southern Football League outfit Caulfield, while younger brother Jackson joined Benalla over the weekend.
"It was a very tough decision, I regard Wodonga as my home club," Jackson said.
"I love all the people involved there at Wodonga, I can't speak highly enough and everything the club has done for me."
I love all the people involved there at Wodonga ... and everything the club has done.
- Jackson Heagney-Steart
The 26-year-old left the Border for Melbourne as a teenager, spending three years with Collingwood at VFL level and a season with South Adelaide in 2015.
He was one of the few profile players to stay after Wodonga's exodus in late 2017, spending most of the time in defence, although he showed his versatility this season by kicking five goals in successive games against finalists Albury and Wodonga Raiders.
"I'm just after a new opportunity and there's the opportunity to play with a good friend in Steve (Murray, ex-Wodonga)," he said.
Heagney-Steart will be joined at the Saints by Holbrook best and fairest Sam Harris, who also signed in the last 72 hours.
"We've been looking for a key position player, such as Jackson, and it brings experience back into the club with Jackson and Sam, which is what we're after, we're a very young side," Benalla president Lloyd Johnson said.
And just like his brother, Tom couldn't be more praiseworthy of the Bulldogs.
"I loved every second of it, it was very difficult (to leave)," he said.
Meanwhile, the top two in the best and fairest have re-signed.
"It's important to have these guys (Dylan Beattie and Tom Johnson) stick around and continue to help our kids develop," Wodonga coach Zac Fulford said.