Essendon Royals announce re-signing of young defender Diarmaid Harrington ahead of upcoming 2025 VPL2 season

Essendon Royals can announce the re-signing of young defender Diarmaid Harrington to their senior men’s squad ahead of the 2025 VPL2 season.

In his fifth season as part of the club’s junior and senior setup, Harrington took strides in 2024, building off his first call-up to the senior squad during the 2023 season and making a handful of appearances in both the league and Dockerty Cup.

Harrington made his senior debut in the Royals’ 3-1 win over Riversdale in the Cup, then as a starter in their 4-3 victory over FC Bulleen Lions in the following round. He went on to make four league appearances, including three as a starter in the heart of defence.

The youngster’s signing is a testament to the continued focus of promoting the youth at Cross Keys Reserve, joining Marcus Kotronis as a fellow Under 23 graduate to have signed with the senior squad this season.

Harrington is the club’s 14th re-signing, joining Kotronis, Graham Kelly, Vince Lia, Brad Norton, VPL2 Golden Boot winner Jordan Adeyemi, Dean Clarke, Will Thomason, Andre Russo, James Tieri, Seb Lo Monaco, Ali Eyigun and Julian Guzzardi, along with new signings Vincent Nicoletti and Rashid Hayek.