FORMER Horsham Saint-turned-Melbourne Demon Rory Taggert has signed with South Australian National Football League side Sturt.
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Taggert, 20, hopes a stint in the SANFL will allow him to resurrect his AFL career after he was delisted by the Demons in October.
He said he was in discussions with three or four teams before deciding on the Double Blues.
“I think with their list they are best suited for me and I think they’re also my best chance to get back into the AFL system,” he said.
“It might take me a couple of years, but that’s okay.
“A fair few players have gone that way and done well.”
Taggert, who was selected by the Demons with pick 36 in the 2011 AFL draft, said his delisting came as a shock.
“It came pretty late in our season,” he said.
“I was still hopeful of being picked up in the rookie draft, but that wasn’t the case. So now I’m going in a different direction.”
Taggert spent this week in Adelaide training with his new team-mates.
“It’s a pretty young team with a lot of players around my age,” he said.
“They’re a good bunch of guys.
“They’ve recruited well and I think we’ve got an exciting season ahead.”
Sturt football manager Paul Sandercock said Taggert would give the Double Blues a strong presence at stoppages.
“That is an area we have tried to address over the pre-season with our recruiting,’’ he said.
“Rory fits that bill perfectly as he is about six-foot-one and is a really good clearance player so we are looking forward to adding him to our midfield.’’
He said Taggert enjoyed a consistent 2013 season with Casey Scorpions after missing most of the 2012 season with a back injury.
“He was named emergency for Melbourne’s AFL side without getting a game so this year he was far more productive and consistent and we will be looking for him to continue that next year,’’ he said.
Taggert will return to Horsham for Christmas and relocate to Adelaide before the Double Blues resume training on January 8.