Kiewa-Sandy Creek coach Zac Fulford has quashed rumours that star recruit Jamie Paul has played his last match for the club.
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The former Hawk returned to his junior club for the first time this season since 2018 after a stint in Western Australia.
Paul has turned plenty of heads in the opening two rounds and looks to have all the credentials to be a star of the competition as a power forward.
He has booted six goals against quality opposition in last year's preliminary finalists Yackandandah and reigning premier Chiltern.
The powerfully built Hawk is a strong contested mark and thumping kick of the Sherrin who is a reliable shot for goal.
He also boasts an imposing physical presence who has the ability to crunch packs and rattle a few opposition cages as Chiltern defender Ash Van Klaveren found out the hard way last weekend.
Van Klaveren, courageously ran back into the space of the rampaging Paul late in the third term and was crunched in a marking contest.
He was immediately forced to leave the ground but returned and had ice on his shoulder in the changerooms after the match.
Fulford confirmed Paul would now return to Western Australia where he has his own concrete business but would be part of the Hawks' flag assault in the second-half of the season.
"Jamie is returning to Western Australia in the short-term for work," Fulford said.
"He was over here for the start of the season so he played the first two matches for us.
"We expect to see him back in a month but two.
"Jamie is going to still play for a club while he is in Western Australia so when he returns he will still be match fit."
Paul could provide the Hawks with the missing piece in their premiership puzzle after losing the past two deciders to the Swans.
A star studded forward line of Paul alongside Connor Newnham and Mitch Paton as tall marking targets with dangerous small forwards Jordyn Croucher and Scott Bartel lurking at ground level would be a nightmare for any defence.
Fulford admitted Paul had impressed him in his brief stint with the Hawks.
"Jamie is a Kiewa junior who went away five years ago and has played a good standard of footy over in WA," he said.
"The last fortnight he has been important for us and certainly provided a solid focal point in attack.
"He had a solid impact and we are looking forward to his return whether that be in a month or maybe two."
Fulford coached against defending premier Chiltern on the weekend for the first time since taking the reins at the Hawks and felt the Swans were the deserved winners.
"I thought Chiltern had the better of us at certain stages who probably didn't capitalise as much as they normally would," he said.
"So they probably let us off the hook a little bit but I thought the way our guys fought back at stages when the opposition had momentum was really promising.
"But we have got a few things that we would like to start tidying up over the next few weeks for sure."
