Tara Murray
One of the Ballarat Football League’s best players is headed home to Point Cook for next year’s Western Region Football League division 1 season.
The Bulldogs announced that Bacchus Marsh ruck Daniel Burton would be returning to the kennel next season.
Burton, who was on Werribee’s Victorian Football League list previously, has played for Bacchus Marsh since 2016.
He won the Henderson Medal as the league’s best player in 2018 and had been named in the Ballarat team of the year on several occasions, most recently this year.
“Daniel, a Point Cook junior, played 181 games for the club where he was a member of the club’s 2011 under-18 division 2 premiership side,” the club said on social media.
“In 2012 [he] won the club’s senior rising star award. During his time at Point Cook, Daniel played 17 games for the Western Jets and 17 games for Werribee’s VFL Development side.
“Following his time at Point Cook he played at Yarraville Seddon, Lake Boga and for the previous six seasons at Bacchus Marsh.”
The signing is the latest of a number of key inclusions for the Bulldogs who will be led by new coach, former AFL player Clay Smith.
The signings are headlined by Smith’s former Western Bulldogs teammate, AFL premiership player Luke Daulhaus, who joins the club after retiring from the AFL.
Former VFL listed player Simon Deery joins the club having previously played alongside Smith during their TAC Cup days.
Former Geelong rookie Paul Tsapatolis has also joined Point Cook. The former junior basketball star turned his focus to football in recent times, but failed to play a match with the Cats in his two years on the list.
Another recruit, Jesse Beha returns to the sport having not played since before COVID-19. He most recently played with Black Rock.
