BY JESS WEBSTER (NEAFL)
Sydney University has bolstered its list with the recruitment of Essendon VFL midfielder Nick Dixon and East Perth ruckman Aaron Redhead.
Dixon, 23, is a product of the Geelong Falcons and comes with experience at VFL level with both Geelong and Essendon.
His close ties with Students utility Darcy Cordell was a key factor in committing to a move north and starting a new chapter with the club.
“He (Darcy) has been trying to get me to the club for a few years now and I finally took the bait,” Dixon told neafl.com.au.
“We’re living together now and it will be good to play with him again after going to school together in Geelong.
“I’ve met a few of the other boys through him when I’ve come up for a holiday in the last few years. At the moment it’s going well and they seem to be a good bunch of guys.”
A tenacious inside midfielder and a clean ball user, Dixon joined the club in December said he is looking forward to the opportunity to find continuity at second-tier level.
“We had a pretty healthy list at Essendon the past few years, so it left me in the dark a bit at times. But you get a lot of positives out of training with AFL-listed guys that you wouldn’t normally get at a standalone club,” he said.
“It (finding consistency) was part of the reason I was excited to come up to Sydney Uni.
“I’m excited for the change and hopefully a few more opportunities to play as an inside mid for continuous games, and letting that develop my game.
“There is a really good culture at Sydney Uni at the moment so I’m keen to fit in and play my role and play well.”
Joining Dixon as a fresh face at the Students is Redhead, a towering Royals forward and ruckman who stands at 202cm and 92kg.
It will be a homecoming of sorts for the 21-year-old, who is originally from the NSW Central Coast before moving across the country to pursue his football dreams when he was 18.
Redhead represented WA at the 2017 National Under-18 Championships and has been developing his craft at League and Reserves level the past two seasons.
You can keep up-to-date with all the latest player movements here.