mmg.com.au

Echuca young gun Axel Childs has jumped ship to Goulburn Valley Football League rival Kyabram.

Childs, a Victoria Country under-19 representative two seasons ago, informed the Murray Bombers that he would be joining close friends Tom and Sam Sheldon at Kyabram Recreation Reserve this week.

Tom, a Nathalia premiership player last year, was a teammate of Childs at the Murray Bombers in 2011.

Echuca coach Cameron Stewart said it was ‘‘extremely disappointing’’ to see the talented midfielder, who was a standout last year, leave the club.

‘‘From a club point of view, we are extremely disappointed,’’ Stewart said.

‘‘Axel is still very friendly with people around the club, but he has made his decision based on his friendship with the Sheldon family.’’

Stewart said the defection of Childs had not hampered the Murray Bombers’ pre-season preparations.

‘‘We have had really good numbers on the track and in the end, we are only really worried about who is at our footy club, not who is not,’’ he said.

‘‘My conversation with Axel will remain private, but he was good enough to ring us and inform us of his decision.

‘‘Now we will just worry about what we are doing.’’

He said recruit Simon Buckley, a 47-game AFL player with Melbourne and Collingwood, had fitted in perfectly since joining the club a little more than a fortnight ago.

‘‘Simon has been to training a couple of times when he has been in town and he has caught up with a few of the boys outside of training as well,’’ Stewart said.

‘‘He has been really good and the boys are really looking forward to playing with him.

‘‘As they are with all of our recruits and the younger guys that will be stepping up.’’

Stewart said the Murray Bombers’ recruiting campaign wasn’t over.

‘‘We will just see how we go,’’ he said.

‘‘We are like every other club at the minute, still talking to some guys, but the other thing is our door is always open.

‘‘Anyone out there that wants to play locally, we are more than happy to accommodate you.’’