Delivering on a promise to lure a big-name recruit to the Redlegs, Bracknell have signed three-time North Launceston premiership player Dakota Bannister.
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Following in the footsteps of former team-mates Tom Bennett, Mark Walsh, Jake Pearce, Zach Burt and most recently, Josh Ponting, who dipped their toes into the NTFA competition, it was a chat with mentor, Brett Mansell, that sealed the deal for the 23-year-old.
"It came about with a mentor of mine, Brett Mansell and a few of my other mates up there, Jack Dyer and Callum Mulder, I had a chat with them too," Bannister said.
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"I thought I needed to take a break from TSL a little bit just to focus on my life outside of footy.
"It's a good opportunity to take a step back and have some fun with some mates."
A big-bodied mid-forward with the X-factor required to win big games, Bannister has played the majority of his career at North Launceston, starting at Rocherlea with stints at Queensland's Palm Beach and East Coast Swans in NTFA's second-string division sandwiched between.
His Redlegs debut will have to wait until round three however, with the former Brooks High School and Launceston College student suspended during his final game in red and black for headbutting Lauderdale's Bryce Walsh.
Hoping to bring that aggression to his new club, Bannister can't wait to dig into life as an NTFA player.
"I'm pretty keen to get up and play against Rocherlea with all my other mates, against them at the Snake Pit, which will be fun.
"It's a good opportunity to be coached by the same bloke who coached my first senior game when I was 15 too."
That man, Bracknell coach Andrew Philpott, is brimming with pride at the prospect of Bannister joining the likes of Mulder and Dyer in the middle for the Redlegs.
"We had a list of names, obviously Dakota was one that was right at the top, along with three or four others that we'd identified over the last few seasons of football," Philpott said.
"I knew him and have known him since he was a young kid - always got on with him and found him easy to deal with.
"The way he goes about football is exactly what Bracknell needs - he's a bull.
"He understands culture, you don't play at North Launceston if you're not disciplined, don't understand where they come from and do the right things so I'm looking for him to lead the way with our young boys."
Sliding down the ladder in 2019, Bracknell finished seventh with only five wins to their name, finishing the season with consecutive wins over Scottsdale and George Town after pushing eventual premiers Hillwood weeks earlier.
Following the signing of Bannister and Clarence's Aiden Jackman, Philpott is still looking to add to his list, saying if the standard of training shown so far continues, his boys will be competitive come football season.
"Numbers have been really good before Christmas and we'll be talking to more players on Monday night at their first training session - we have three blokes coming that we are looking to sign."
The 2020 premier division season kicks off on March 28.
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