Leopold has landed its first big signing in an off-season marked by key departures, confirming the arrival of Hampden league star Jed Henderson.
A two-time premiership player with South Warrnambool, the midfielder has signed at Memorial Park alongside partner Hollie Phillips, who will join the Lions’ netball section.
“They were a bit of a package deal that we were really keen on,” coach Sam Hughes told K rock Football’s Beyond the Boundary podcast.
“We missed out on one recently, which we thought we were a chance of, and that package decided to go elsewhere. But it emphasised even more for us to get Jed and Holly on board.
“Holly’s a quality netballer and will support our A-grade unit. Jed’s obviously a player that had a really good year at South (Warrnambool) and has connections at Leopold, and came and trained a little bit when ‘Buddha’ (Garry Hocking) was around.
“He’s living in the area, so he’s going to add a bit for us in different parts of the ground.”
Henderson’s signing follows the departure of ten players who featured at senior level in 2025, including premiership players Harris Jennings, Sam Scott, Brock Williamson, Luke Justin, Logan Wagener, Andrew Pepper, Tom Feely, and Trent Thompson.
Hughes also confirmed league-leading goalkicker Connor Giddings, who is spending the summer playing in Darwin, was weighing up whether to remain in green or gold or join Jennings in return to Hampden league club Portland.
“We’ve told him to think about that,” Hughes said. “He’s got some things he’s working through from his end.
“I said to him, regardless, we’re going to go out and try and recruit in that part of the ground to make sure we’re not left in the lurch and left under-resourced down there.
“He was fine with that, and he said as soon as he works out what he’s doing, he’ll let me know.”
X: @krockfootball
