Words: Michael Flynn

Moreton Bay United have added further depth to their PlayStation® 4 NPL Queensland title defence with the signing of three more promising young talents.

Teenagers Sam Dickinson, Jacob Mitchell and Finn Beakhurst will all be part of Jets senior squad in 2016 – taking the number of announced players at the club to 14.

The trio are products of Jets’ PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland junior ranks and all played with the club since the inaugural 2013 season.

Jets Technical Director Adam Piddick said he foresees bright futures for the trio as they continue their development in the senior set-up this season.

“At the end of the day we obviously want to win things but we also want to produce players and they are three players we have ear-marked that we think can go on to higher honours in coming years,” Piddick explained.

“But you’ve got to have that happy medium in the squad because you can’t just have a team full of youngsters and expect them to learn.”

“So we have some mentors in the team that they can look up to in their respective positions and if they learn from them and continue to work hard it will hopefully pay off,” he concluded.

Central defender Mitchell, 18, received a taste of first-team football early in 2015 when he provided cover for the injured Alex Henderson – starting the first four games of the Premiership and Grand Final winning season.

Midfielder Dickinson, 17, has made a total of 15 senior appearances in the past two season but was restricted to just five appearances off the bench last season.

Beakhurst, 16, is an Australian Schoolboys representative and played primarily with the Jets’ Under 18’s team in 2015.

He made his senior debut off the bench in the PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues Finals Series tie against Blacktown City.