He’s come through the Newcastle Jets Youth system and played at some of the Hunter’s top senior clubs, but Matt Comerford will return to more familiar settings after signing with Maitland for the 2015 season.
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The 21-year-old Bolwarra Lorn junior said the opportunity to play with good mates had been a key factor in his decision to link with the Magpies.
“When I knew that the local team were coming back into the top level I saw it would be a good opportunity to come up here,” he said.
“I’m good mates with some of the boys like Ben Martin, Alex King and Harry Maguire, and thought it would be good to get back and play at a good club with those boys.”
A left-sided attacking midfielder, Comerford comes to Cooks Square Park having played at newly promoted Adamstown this season, and at premiership-winning Broadmeadow the year earlier.
He said he was confident that the black and whites would not be out of place in the NPL next season.
“If you look at the squad there’s plenty of quality there and I expect us to do really well next year,” he said.
“I really think we’ll be the sort of team that nobody wants to come up here and play against.”
Comerford’s signature is one of three the Magpies have already made for next season.
Former North Queensland Fury forward Alex Read has also signed on, as has veteran midfielder Lucas Gonzalez, who comes to the league after playing in Sydney’s NSW NPL competition.
Magpies assistant coach Reece Thompson said the club were close to agreeing terms with one or two more players in “key areas”, but had also largely stuck with the squad that had swept all before them in 2014.
All of this year’s squad have been retained bar striker Roger Dowdell, who returns to Adamstown, with Sydney-based marksman Joel Wood again committing to the club.
He said it was important that the players that were coming in were compatible not only on the field, but off it as well.
“What we’re looking to do is bring in quality players, but quality players that also fit in with the culture of the club – we’re a tight-knit group” he said.
“If you look at end-of-season trips as an indicator, you hear of some clubs getting half a dozen and we’ve got 39 going down next weekend.
“The group we’ve got genuinely love playing at this club and want to be here, and we want to keep it that way.”