The Carlton Football Club is excited to announce the re-signing of Zavier Maher to its VFL side for 2022.
After spending much of the 2021 season in the NAB League with the Murray Bushrangers, the 20-year-old inside midfielder will be looking to make an impact in the VFL with the Blues in 2022.
Maher made an impact last summer at IKON Park, training with Carlton’s AFL side before ultimately signing on with the VFL Blues.
With only nine games last season due to Covid, Maher made his debut in what was ultimately the Blues’ final game of the truncated season: he looked promising in his one outing against Sandringham, finishing with eight disposals, three tackles and four inside 50s in limited game time.
In last year’s Victorian draft combine, Maher finished in the top five for the 20-metre sprint, demonstrating the elite speed that the Blues will be looking forward to seeing come to the fore in the future.
Carlton Reserves coach Daniel O’Keefe was excited to see Maher continue to develop in the Club’s program, while he was also hopeful there would be more opportunity for the 20-year-old next season.
“Zavier is someone who has great potential and we were really happy with what he brought to the table this year: it’s just a shame we didn’t get to see more of him given the season was called off just as he made his debut,” O’Keefe said.
“At such a young age we expect his game to come along nicely and continue to develop within our system, especially with an AFL pre-season under his belt 12 months ago. After a year of chopping and changing, we think a consistent season in our program will be great for his progression as a footballer.
“With only nine games last season, it was unfortunate that he didn’t get many looks into the side, but what we loved was what Zavier showed at training and his commitment to his craft. We can’t wait to see what he can do in 2022.”
Carlton Reserves re-signings for 2021: Ben Crocker, Aaron Hundry, Cody Hirst, Tom North, Stefan Radovanovic, Alex Cincotta, David Handley, Cooper Stephens, Owen King, Zane Barzen, Zavier Maher
Thomas Dev is a student at La Trobe University, undergoing his Bachelor of Media and Communications (Sports Journalism). He is currently undertaking an internship at the Carlton Football Club as part of its partnership with La Trobe University.
