Wangaratta Rovers sign Strathmore captain Xavier Allison

Xavier Allison led Strathmore in the strong Essendon District Football League this year.

Aberfeldie captain Samuel Cattapan captained the Gorillas this season, before signing a two-year deal with the O and M's Hawks.

The pair is good friends, although the former clubs have built a fierce rivalry over the past decade.

"We're very, very good friends and have known each other since we were toddlers, our mums are best friends," Allison revealed after also penning a two-year contract.

"It felt like the right time to go, I really love my home club and didn't want to join a rival side and obviously the Ovens and Murray is a big drawcard, I'm really keen to test myself.

"Ultimately, I was very impressed by not only the coach (Sam Murray), but also football operations manager 'Baz' (Barry Sullivan) and the presidents Wendy (Lester) and Wally (Pasquali) and how they presented, they seem like a really well-run community focused club and that's what got me over the line."

The 29-year-old was Strathmore's vice-captain from 2018-2022 and led the side on multiple occasions in the captain's absence.

"We understand we've got a really strong young group, with the likes of Alex McCarthy, Jace McQuade and players around them, if we can surround them with amazing leaders over the coming years, they're just going to improve," Murray explained.

"Last season we could definitely put eight-nine goals on sides, but at times we had goals scored on us pretty frequently and these leaders are going to play a big part to stem the flow and control the tempo of the games, at times."

At 175cms and 75kgs, Allison has racked up around 160 games at his home club and enjoys the leadership role.

"That was another drawcard, I've got some experience as a leader and I'm keen to help out not only the young players, but the coaching staff and senior leaders in any way I can to make sure this club is a successful one," he outlined.

Allison was named in the EDFL Team of the Year the last two seasons, so Rovers are gaining a player in peak form.

"He's a really good ball user off halfback, he's a small back, but he finds a lot of the footy," Murray enthused.

"He's been a distributor within that league for years now and as his Team of the Year performances show, he was a really valued member of the league."

Rovers lost to Wodonga by 40 points in this year's elimination final.

It was Wodonga's first finals campaign in 14 years and they fell to Wangaratta by 17 points the following week.

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