Wodonga Raiders land Jake Twycross from Eaglehawk

Twycross arrives at Birallee Park from Eaglehawk in the Bendigo league.

The 26-year-old is the nephew of former Raiders coach Paul Twycross.

Twycross played in the Raiders' practice match against Mulwala last Friday night and caught the eye of Almond with his clean ball handling.

"We signed Jake on Tuesday night," Almond said.

"I didn't know what to expect but he really caught my eye in the practice match the other night.

"He is really clean, has exceptional skills and is a hard-nut around the contest.

"His polish and poise really stood out alongside his ability to hit a target and he will be a real asset for us.

"Jake is he is now at an age profile that we are lacking.

"We desperately need some guys around that 26 plus age bracket to complement the kids that we have got coming through."

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Almond expects Twycross to play across half-forward and add further depth to the midfield rotations.

After being hit by a player exodus at the start of the off-season, the Raiders have been one of the most active clubs in the recruiting stakes with close to ten new faces.

The Raiders heavily targeted the Northern Territory competition with Joshua Cheek, Will Farrer and Dale Cox among the club's biggest signings.

Almond said the club would boast a much stronger list than most critics would have anticipated pre-Christmas.

"Our recruiting strategy probably went in a different direction than what we originally planned," he said.

"But in saying that, it has been a productive off-season and we have been able to get some young guys into the club.

"It's a three year plan and the players we have brought in suit that plan outside some of the Northern Territory recruits who will likely be here for a couple of seasons at the most.

"But guys like Cheek, Twycross and Burke (Jason) will hopefully be around for the long haul and part of the what we hope will be the club's next successful era."

Almond remained confident the club could land a key forward from the Northern Territory before its season opener against Yarrawonga on April 9.

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