Young midfielder commits to Raiders on full-time basis in 'massive bonus'

Classy midfielder Tom Bracher has returned home from Melbourne after a stint with Richmond in the VFL and committed to the Raiders full-time this season. Picture by Mark Jesser

Wodonga Raiders coach Marc Almond believes young gun Tom Bracher can stamp himself as one of the premier players in the Ovens and Murray by season's end.

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Bracher split his time last season playing with Richmond in the VFL where he managed seven matches and a further 12 matches at Birallee Park.

The former Murray Bushranger made his VFL debut for the Tigers in 2022 before joining Chiltern before the clearance deadline.

He played a starring role in the Swans' maiden grand final triumph in the Tallangatta league before nominating the Raiders last year as his second club when free of VFL commitments.

Bracher's older brother, Nick, also played in the Swans' 2022 flag before crossing to Birallee Park last year.

However, Bracher who has travelled from Melbourne for the past two years has decided to move back to the Border and commit to the Raiders full-time this season.

Wodonga Raiders Marc Almond is excited by the prospect of Tom Bracher playing full-time at Birallee Park this season. Picture by James Wiltshire

Almond said getting Bracher on a full-time basis is a 'massive bonus' to the club's hopes of climbing the ladder after finishing second bottom last season with a 2-14 record.

"I think Tom will have a huge impact for us this season," Almond said.

"It's not just his impact on the field, he's back living on the Border so he will be training full-time at Birallee Park and help set the standards on the training track.

"Tom's football IQ is really strong, so just having him around the training group and playing each week without the worry of whether we have him this week or not is going to be a huge bonus.

"I really think he can go to another level.

"When Tom did play for us this season, his stats suggest that he is a top-line Ovens and Murray player.

"His ball use and decision making with ball in hand I think is as good as anyone that I've seen running around in the competition for the past couple of years.

"So having Tom commit is a massive bonus."

Former AFL player Cam Ellis-Yolmen had a big impact in his debut season in the O&M, winning the Raiders' best and fairest award. Picture by James Wiltshire

The Raiders host Lavington on Good Friday and look set to boast a classy midfield brigade comprising former AFL players Cam Ellis-Yolmen and Sam Darley.

Seb Quirk, who will play for Raiders when not with Frankston, and Bracher will add some VFL experience.

Meanwhile, developing key forward Jason Burke is making good recovery from a knee injury suffered last May which sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

Burke showed a glimpse of his ability with three goals against preliminary finalists Wangaratta in round six but suffered the season-ending knee injury the following round against Albury.

Almond said he expected Burke to be in the selection mix for round one.

"Jason had an arthroscope on his knee and it wasn't a reconstruction," Almond said.

"We did a seven-week block of training before Christmas and Jason did a month modified and the last three weeks he trained pretty well and was building his workload.

"So I expect he will be ready to resume full-training when we return in mid-January."