Lara has rejected rumours about its immediate future and says the club plans to be part of the 2026 GFNL season.
Following a meeting with their parent body, the Lara Sporting Club, last week, the Cats have released a statement this (Tuesday) morning addressing speculation following the departure of several key players.
“We understand there may be concerns around rumours of our immediate future,” the statement, posted to social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, said.
“We can inform supporters, partners and (the) broader football community that these are exactly that, rumours.
“We cannot deny that we have lost some key on-field personnel; however, our Football Department is working tirelessly to mitigate further losses, and utilising all possible angles to attract our new recruits to bolster our 2026 playing group.
“Our senior men’s squad have continued with their pre-Christmas program, which they will complete as planned later in December.
“The number of contracted players on our list at this stage of the pre-season is consistent with other seasons over the last decade.”
Among the departures from the Snakepit are talented youngsters Dan Lowther (Newtown & Chilwell) and Josh Sanders (St Mary’s),
Co-captain Aaron Stone has joined Werribee Centrals following Connor Linehan-Cunningham’s return to the GDFNL club.
Cody Beckley (Bell Post Hill), Ryan Bell (Anglesea), Jack Borchard (Thomson), and Sam Hoffman (Anakie) will also play elsewhere next year, while Tom Gunther has been linked to a move to a rival GFNL club.
The previous off-season, experienced quartet Dan Weigl, Mitch Day, Dylan Jose and Bayley Cockerill were among Lara’s losses.
Former North Shore forward Cooper Langan, who is training with VFL club Sandringham, and West Coast Eagles WAFL gun Tom Edwards-Baldwin, who will have the Cats as his interchange club, are the only new signings announced.
“Our football club is an extremely important part of our community, and we urge all players, members, supporters and broader football community to stick together.
“We acknowledge next year will be a challenging season, but we can reassure we remain fully committed to season 2026 and beyond.”
X: @krockfootball
