Their 2014 campaign may have just wrapped up but the Bentleigh Greens have already stepped up preparations for 2015 with the additions of three new players.
Queensland trio Tyson Holmes, Chris Lucas and Matt Thurtell have been confirmed as signings for the upcoming NPL season with the club determined to match the heights set this year.
Holmes signs on for the Greens after an outstanding two years at South Melbourne where the attacking midfielder was a vital component of their Championship winning squad notching up 58 appearances and 8 goals.
Prior to this he had been the star man for the Sunshine Coast Fire in the Queensland State League (now NPL) and moves to Bentleigh in search of greater game time.
The news comes days after the club confirmed the signing of Chris Lucas from Queensland NPL Champions Palm Beach Sharks.
Lucas comes to Melbourne on the back off a vintage season where he not only scored 35 times in 26 games but also clinched the league’s best player award while also being a key player in the club’s run to the FFA Cup Quarter Finals.
Lucas has spent the majority of his career at the Sharks while also having a brief stint with the city’s now defunct A-League side, Gold Coast United.
At Bentleigh, Lucas is expected to form an illustrious forward partnership with fellow Queenslander Matt Thurtell who joins the club from the Brisbane Strikers.
The former Brisbane Roar youth player comes to Kingston Heath with an impressive goalscoring record at the Strikers where scored 113 goals in 96 games.
The 22-year-old was also pivotal in the clubs run to the FFA Cup Round of 16 where the former NSL side were knocked out by Adelaide City.
The trio will surely strengthen an already strong side which has during their memorable campaign been depleted by the losses of key forwards Brent McGrath, David Stirton and Ryan De Vries while Luke O’Dea is expected to miss the start of the 2015 season recovering from an upcoming operation on his hip.
The signings have also sent an ominous warning to champions South Melbourne and fierce rivals Oakleigh Cannons that the Greens mean business once the new NPL season kicks off in March next year with John Anastasiadis’s chargers keen to continue the good vibes going at their Cheltenham base.