Eagles Recruiting for 2022

Trent Burgoyne delisted, Back to the Eagles? I believe he has had a few hamstring injuries that have hampered his development.

TWENTY-four league games, two premierships and outta here. In one of the more
remarkable football stories, Woodville-West Torrens hard man Ben Jungfer, who
has fielded AFL draft interest, has quit the SANFL at age 20 to become a ringer in
the Western Australian outback.
Within days of the Eagles this month winning back-toback flags for the first time in
their history – and Jungfer playing a key role in both grand finals – he returned to
his home town of Darwin to see family before moving to the top of WA to start life
on a farm in February.
He will become a station hand on a property in the small, remote town of Fitzroy
Crossing in the Kimberley region, 2524 kilometres from Perth and 400km east of
Broome.
“It was a very tough decision to leave the Eagles but I have a passion in the farming
area and an opportunity came up that I found too good to refuse,’’ Jungfer told The
Advertiser.
“As much as I love football, I need to look at setting myself up for the future, which
is in the cattle game.
“It’s hard to get work on a cattle station, which is something I’ve always wanted to
do, so when this opportunity came up I jumped at it. It’s about getting early, firsthand experience for the things I’ll need later in life.’’ Jungfer, a tough, 186cm
defender, has put a promising football career on hold while walking away from the
highflying Eagles’ pursuit of a historic three-peat, swapping the Sherrin and football
boots for an Akubra hat and riding boots.
Any chance of an AFL callup has temporarily vanished after he had received “some
minor interest’’ from clubs.
Ben Jungfer celebrates a goal with fellow Eagle Jack Hayes; left, Jungfer with
teammates after winning backto-back SANFL flags and; right, Jungfer breaks
away during the NTFL Under 12s grand final between Palmerston and Waratahs
in 2013.
Main picture: Morgan Sette
Jungfer leaves the SANFL having achieved more team success at 20 than most
players do in a lifetime.
He won a flag in only his fourth league game last year when the Eagles snapped a
nine-year premiership drought by beating North Adelaide in the grand final.
Jungfer added a second league premiership this year – after only 24 games – when
he was a member of the side that thrashed minor premier Glenelg in the flag
decider, performing a strong stopping job on the wing on Tigers star Matthew Allen.
The back-toflags gave Jungfer four premierships in four years from only 41 games.
He won consecutive under- 18 flags for the Eagles prior to making his league debut
against West Adelaide in round 13, 2020.
“It’s pretty surreal,’’ Darwin-born Jungfer, who moved to Adelaide to board at
Sacred Heart College at 15, said of his stunning premiership success, capped by two
league flags.
“There are a lot of players who have played more than 200 games who never won a
league premiership and I get one in my first year and another after just 24 games, so
it’s pretty unreal.
“I know how lucky I am and I’m grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been given by
the club, especially the chance to play in big games.
“I know it’s a massive privilege to play in finals, to get the chance to win
premierships, and I owe a lot to the Eagles for looking after me, the way they treat
people, first through their successful junior program and then in the seniors.’’
Jungfer’s dad, Mark, played junior football at the Eagles and Ben grew up
supporting the club when he was raised in Darwin. He has family in Adelaide’s
western suburbs.
Mark is a landscape gardener in Darwin but shares his son’s passion for cattle
farming. The pair bought some cattle together last year and have settled them at a
friend’s farm at Mount Compass, where Ben has done some part-time work.
Ben said it was his dream to establish a cattle farm in South Australia with his dad.
“That’s the end goal,’’ he said. “To run a farm and build a herd on there would be
pretty cool.’’
Jungfer will not be able to play football while he’s working on the station in remote
WA but has not ruled out a return to the sport or the Eagles.
“Football was always my number one interest and there was a time where all I
wanted to do was play AFL,’’ he said.
“But I’ve found this new passion, which really suits me, so footy will take a back seat
for a while. I’m not sure how long I’ll be away at this stage, that’s something I’ll play
by ear, but I’d say I'd be looking to return in a few years.
“I’m not closing the door on anything, I'm leaving all my options open, and if I
decide to come back and play for the Eagles again one day then I'd be happy to do
the work required to work my way back into the team.’’ Now it’s time for some
adventure.

Mickyj wrote:Any clue when we will announce any signings like the rumoured player from west ?

Like every year the AFL draft in November is key. With salary caps that are restrictive I think we will be very selective. Plus we have a junior bank of players just bursting to make the next step.