VFL: Coburg lands former St Kilda and Collingwood midfielder Jack Bytel in ‘win for the little guys’

For the past few seasons the historic Lions – one of the VFL’s six stand-alone Victorian clubs – have spoken about being “competitive’’ in the state league.

Now, after signing former Saint and Magpie Jack Bytel fresh from the AFL, they can extend their ambitions and set an eye on the finals.

Coming off Collingwood’s list, Bytel, 24, was courted by fellow stand-alone Port Melbourne.

When it became clear early this week that he had a choice between the Burgers and the Borough, it was widely thought Bytel would settle for Port.

But, in what one VFL commentator called a win for the “little guys’’, he chose Coburg, where he knows a number of players through his under-age football.

Bytel lives in the northern suburbs and was drafted from the Calder Cannons after playing juniors at Aberfeldie.

Burgers general manager Nick Byrne said the signing of the 29-game AFL player was significant for his club.

“For a few reasons,’’ he said.

“The obvious one is what he’ll bring as a player.

“But perhaps more importantly, what it means for footy in our region, Jack being a product of our region and obviously coming through the Cannons and still living in the area. For me, it’s also a statement from a football perspective, how we’re reframing things and moving on from being competitive to being a team that is looking to advance and play finals. From a club perspective and a community perspective, it’s about being seen to be able to attract someone of Jack’s quality. It resonates in our area. Others will talk about what it means in terms of how the club is perceived.’’

Coburg bumped along to an 0-18 record in 2023 under a first-year coach in Jamie Cassidy-McNamara.

Last season, despite losing the first three placegetters in the best and fairest, it improved to win five games.

It was better than none, of course. But Cassidy-McNamara thought his Burgers were capable of more.

“There was probably a patch in the middle of the year where we could have taken that next step into the middle rungs of the ladder and we just fell short of that unfortunately,’’ he said.

Unlike the previous off-season, the Lions have kept their list together.

Byrne said the retention helped with recruiting. Bytel is tight with Burgers big man Mitch Podhajski.

“He has enough personal relationships here that made him want to follow-through and have discussions with us when he did leave the AFL system,’’ he said.

“From there we laid our vision for the footy club and what he would mean to it. After that he was keen to come and play here.

“The biggest thing in footy is retention. It’s great to go and get players. But if you’re just replacing good players who are leaving your program, it’s hard to progress. Because of our retention – and that’s driven by the players and their connectivity with each other – it becomes enticing for players who want to jump in and be a part of that. I’ve related to our leaders and our captain that the work they’ve done for a long time has meant this sort of stuff is possible. They deserve all the credit for that.’’

Bytel was co-captain of the Cannons and St Kilda selected him at No. 41 in the 2018 national draft.

Held up by a back injury in his first year, he went on to play 22 games with the Saints.

Delisted at the end of 2023, Bytel gained a second chance when Collingwood claimed him in the pre-season supplemental selection period. He had seven AFL matches for the Pies before being let go. At VFL level he averaged 27.2 disposals from 11 games.

“I think the thing that excites me the most about Jack is what he’s like as a person,’’ Cassidy-McNamara said.

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“We know what we’re going to get from him as a player – he’s a really dominant VFL player – but he’ll also come in as someone who’s experienced a lot of things in a short time. He’s had the Coates league experience, a delisting, coaching changes, the uncertainty of the SSP, the success of the SSP, a delisting again … I think he knows what he wants from the game now and I’m hopeful we can provide that environment for him.’’

The midfielder is the fifth recruit unveiled by the Burgers.

They’ve also added 2022 Calder Cannons best and fairest Declan Willmore, Jonathan Tomasiello from Collingwood VFL, Ryan Valentine from Casey Demons and the returning Sam Mason from Old Trinity.