Jacob Moloney takes on Panmure captaincy, Bulldogs welcome four recruits for 2023 WDFNL season

The 21-year-old has taken the reins as senior captain of the reigning Warrnambool and District league grand finalists, with Louis Kew, who skippered the Bulldogs for four seasons, shifting into an assistant coaching role.

Moloney said he was excited to "get stuck into it" after learning lessons from Kew during his time as captain.

"Something I've learnt of Louis... he's one of the most organised blokes," Moloney said. "And he's a very good clubman... he gives back so much and I've been trying to do the same. He's just a people person and I think me and him are exactly the same."

Senior coach Chris Bant called Moloney a "natural leader", with the tall swingman coming off a career-best season that saw him claim the club's best and fairest and finish equal second in the league's J.A. Esam Medal count.

"He really led from the front more so with actions than anything else," Bant said.

Moloney, a carpenter by trade, said the leadership role wouldn't change the way he operated as he puts his head down at training while fostering friendships within the playing group.

"You want people to come to Panmure because it's such a good environment," he said. "But at the same time I like to think when we get there everyone trains hard and it brushes off on everyone."

The Bulldog talent is eager to take his own game up another gear in 2023, in what will be his fourth year of senior football.

"Me personally, I haven't stopped kicking the footy around, I've just tried to improve," he said. "Hopefully we can win the premiership.

"The group we have, it sucked that we lost but we all did bond together and I think everyone's determined to give it another red-hot crack."

Moloney understands the challenge won't be easy - as others clubs take their own steps to improve - but it's one he believes his side is ready for.

"I think we can take it one step further if everything goes our way," he said.

Bant, who is into his fifth season of senior coaching, is also backing the team to make further strides with a few tweaks.

"The method we have employed, definitely last year, we were getting better and better at our game plan," he said. "Hopefully we can take more strides to get better again."

Bant confirmed the Bulldogs had lost four from their grand final side but had also picked four up.

Paddy Mahony (Irrewarra-Beeac), Tom Mahony (Cobden), Brad Cook (overseas) and Liam Bishop (overseas) all depart the club, with Zac Leddin (Monash Blues), Darcy Bourke (North Warrnambool Eagles U18.5s), Harry Searle (Allansford) and Dalton Pincott (Allansford) coming in.

Leddin, originally from Warrnambool, has moved back to the area after more than a decade in Melbourne.

"He hasn't lived here since he was 18 and he's now 32 so he's been away for a far while," Bant said. "He'll be really handy for us."

Darcy Bourke, who played three senior games for Panmure in 2022, returns to his boyhood club after two seasons at North Warrnambool Eagles while Searle, who played 16 of a possible 18 games for the Cats in 2022, also re-joins his junior club.

Bant believed the four recruits would fit in position-wise.

"We might have to change a couple people that we already had in our team," he said. "But I don't think that's a bad thing, people can get a bit stale playing the same position the whole time. We'll look to mix-and-match our team through the early part of the season to get the right balance."

Panmure will play Hampden league teams Port Fairy and Terang Mortlake in practice matches before round one starts April 1.

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