AS well as no Michelsen Medal winners playing in the Bendigo Football Netball League next year, now there won't be any winners of the Ron Best Medal either playing in 2024.
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The exodus of star talent from the BFNL continued over the weekend when Goulburn Valley league club Shepparton announced gun forward Joel Brett was returning to the Bears from Golden Square.
Classy forward Brett has spent the past three seasons with Golden Square, winning the Ron Best Medal as the league's leading goalkicker in 2022 with 92, before booting another six in the finals to finish with 98 for the year.
In total across his three seasons and 52 games for Golden Square, Brett booted 237 goals at an average of 4.5 per match.
He kicked 47 in the shortened 2021 season, 98 in 2022 and 92 this year, with his stint at Golden Square including five double-figure bags and a high of 14 against Castlemaine in round seven, 2022.
Brett kicked two goals in Golden Square's gripping six-point grand final win over Sandhurst this year.
"Joel is an immensely skilful, smart and hard working player who will significantly enhance our forward mix," the Bears said in announcing the return of Brett.
The only Ron Best Medal winners to have been playing in the BFNL this year were Brett and Strathfieldsaye's Lachlan Sharp, but both have now departed the competition.
Sharp - a three-time winner of the Ron Best Medal in 2017, 2019 and this year - is headed to Bridgewater as playing co-coach alongside Rick Ladson.
Having no winners of the Ron Best Medal in the competition next year comes on the back of Michelsen Medal winners Lee Coghlan (to Bridgewater), Sharp, Jack Geary (to Cohuna Kangas) and Jake Moorhead (to Pascoe Vale) having departed the league over the past month.
And with this year's winner, Eaglehawk midfielder Noah Wheeler, to be sidelined all of next year with an ACL, there will be no winners of the Michelsen Medal playing in the BFNL in 2024.
As well as Brett, Golden Square defender Liam Duguid - also a Bulldogs' premiership player this year - is returning to Shepparton as well.
"Liam will be an incredible asset to our side with his strong work ethic, skill, leadership and trademark determination all sure to be on display," the Bears said.
Duguid had also spent the past three seasons at Wade Street and played 43 games for Golden Square, whose departure list from this year's premiership team now stands at eight players: Brett, Duguid, Hamish Morcom (Huntly), Geary, Jake Thrum (Irymple), Liam Barrett (Moama), Matt Compston (retired) and Zavier Murley (Castlemaine).
The Bulldogs have also replaced premiership coach Christian Carter with Brad Eaton.
Prior to joining Golden Square both Brett and Duguid played in Shepparton's 2018 GVFL grand final win over Kyabram - a stunning upset result that ended Kyabram's 62-game winning streak.
Meanwhile, Loddon Valley league club Bridgewater has announced the signing of another player formerly of Strathfieldsaye in experienced and hard-at-it midfielder Boden Alexander.
Alexander has previously played at the Mean Machine in 2021 before spending the past two years playing with Strathfieldsaye.
Bridgewater has now signed five players who were part of Strathfieldsaye's losing 2022 grand final side to Gisborne: Alexander, co-coach Sharp, Harry Conway, Jack Neylon and Joe Mayes.
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