Green Gully announced the additions of Corey Slevin and Todd Dekker, both of whom were deadline day additions to the club.
Belfast-born midfielder Slevin represented the Joeys in 2005 where he was coached by Ange Postecoglou, narrowly missing out on selection for Australia’s U17 World Cup squad in Peru.
Slevin moved to Victoria with his younger brother Karl in 2015, having spent much of his career playing top flight football in Queensland before turning out for Bendigo City.
Having finished the 2015 NPL1 season as his side’s top scorer with 12 goals, Slevin was signed to Oakleigh in early 2016 before being snapped up by former Oakleigh coach Arthur Papas as a mid-season addition at Gully.
“Corey … comes across with the ability to fill any position along the left as well as in the middle of the park. His speed, power and vision plus his technical ability suit the characteristics of the team very well,” Papas said.
The younger brother of Northcote product and former Melbourne City forward Wade, Todd also spent his formative years at the club, with the Dekker name almost becoming synonymous with Northcote over the years.
The 18-year-old had made appearances in 2015 and ’16 under Goran Lozanovski and Alex Gymnopoulos, and heads over to Gully in search of further senior appearances.
“Todd is a talented young attacker who is extremely difficult to dispossess because of his speed and strength. He’s very direct and has the ability to run in behind the last line which poses a threat to teams,” Papas said.
The duo add to the signings of Jay Davies and Aaron Ward to Gully’s mid-season, with Dekker linking up with the latter from Northcote, and all adding to Gully’s midfield and attacking third.
The additions ease the reliance on the likes of Liam Boland, Nick Krousoratis and Evan Christodoulou for attacking spark, all whom had the increased responsibility following Matt Breeze’s Round 1 injury, with the former two also missing out on games due to injury throughout the campaign.
Image: Mark Avellino