Former Carlton ruckman Alex Mirkov has signed with VAFA club Old Ivanhoe in the wake of his Blues exit.
Mirkov was cut by the AFL club after three-and-a-half years at Princes Park, having joined the Blues's senior list as a mid-season addition out of the club's VFL program.
The 210cm ruckman also featured for Old Ivanhoe before his move to the top flight, which was eventually riddled by a heart complication.
The discovery of a leaking aortic valve in his heart midway through 2023 brought an end to Mirkov's campaign, with the 25-year-old not returning to the field until Round 4 of the following season.
Mirkov would play a total of 44 games for Carlton's VFL, including 16 this year before being delisted by the club.
The athletic ruckman will now return to the local level for 2025, linking up with the Grammarians once again.
"Alex is returning to Old Ivanhoe after more than two years on Carlton's AFL list after being recruited from the Club in the 2021 mid-season draft," a club post read.
"Alex is excited to be working with a familiar coaching group and surround himself with familiarity of friends and Chelsworth Park as he looks to play dominant football and work his way back onto an AFL list."
Old Ivanhoe reside in the Premier B division of the VAFA and would amass a fifth-place finish in 2024 after recording 10 wins in 18 games.
The signing of Mirkov adds to the club's addition of former Richmond and West Coast player Patrick Naish, who also returns to the VAFA side for the 2025 season.
