PYRAMID Hill is celebrating its new-found connection with Boort with some major signings for 2026, including a shock return for an AFL premiership star.
New Bulldogs coach Jarrod Fitzpatrick, who was captain and assistant coach with the Magpies this year, has brought with him Boort star Jhye Baddeley-Kelly.
Baddeley-Kelly won the club best-and-fairest in each of his two seasons at Boort, and also finished in the top three in the North Central league’s Feeny Medal in both years.
He kicked 73 goals this season and was named in the best players in 12 games out of 16.
Baddeley-Kelly will be joined at Mitchell Park next season by 2016 AFL premiership winner Shane Biggs, who last played competitive football in 2023. Biggs appeared in just six games for Boort, kicking nine goals, that season having spent the previous three years on the sidelines.
He played with North Heidelberg in 2019 after retiring from the AFL in 2018.
Biggs, played a key role in the Western Bulldogs’ second-ever flag after beginning his AFL career with Sydney.
Also switching from Boort after three seasons with the Magpies will be Ryan McGhie, a former teammate of Biggs and Fitzpatrick at North Heidelberg.
McGhie is a tough defender whose footy resume includes a stint with Marong in 2017.
Veteran midfielder-forward Zach Alford has been appointed by the Bulldogs as an assistant coach for next season.