Cobden signs former Murray Bushranger Mark Marriott to

The Bombers unveiled Mark Marriott, a former Murray Bushranger with Victoria Country experience, as their newest recruit on Monday.

Marriott, who attends Geelong agricultural college Marcus Oldham, was lured to the south-west on the back of a friendship with Cobden player Lachlan Davis.

Courtney said Marriott, 21, would play an important role for his side.

"I think Mark'll definitely play forward as well. He's still pretty young so we're not expecting him to ruck all day," he said.

"It's going to depend week-to-week who we play, who we come up against and we'll manage it appropriately.

"It depends how we set it up. There's a lot of different scenarios we can play. But with him being 21, we don't want to throw him in and wear him down. We want him to enjoy his football and be an asset for us.

"To have a bloke that size in the forward line too is definitely going to keep defenders on their toes."

Courtney said Hawkins, who has shouldered the majority of the Bombers ruck duties, was moving to Western Australia.

He said Marriott had travelled to Cobden this past week to train and was impressed with the club's set-up and facilities.

The third-year coach said the club was "really excited" and said the recruiting process happened "really quickly".

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"We're rapt to be able to get someone of that height with Toby leaving, he's off for a bit of change of life and a new experience," Courtney said.

"We're actually very lucky and fortunate. When we heard (Mark) was unsure of where he was playing, we acted pretty quick.

"We actually have two other boys in our senior ranks who are over 200 centimetres and they're developing nicely. With Mark, we'll have three of them.

"They'll be able to help each other and learn, especially with Mark having a bit of experience at NAB League level and with Victoria Country." Courtney said the Hampden league club was keen to place an emphasis on forward pressure in 2021.

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