QAFL 2025 season preview: Key recruits, gains and losses, coaches aims
Ahead of the 2025 QAFL season, every senior coach has lifted the lid on their side’s excitement factor, ins and outs and key players to keep an eye on. Read the full preview and have your say.
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With the first bounce looming, every QAFL head coach has uncovered their off-season takeaways, list changes, season aims and key players to watch this season.
Round 1 will be played on March 29 with the regular season running until August 23 and the grand final to take centre stage on September 20 or 21.
Coorparoo are the latest team to join Queensland’s top flight competition with 13 clubs competing for the 2025 premiership flag.
This season will include an expanded top eight finals series and will also welcome three new head coaches across the league.
Ahead of round one this masthead caught up with each side’s head coach to find out how pre-season had gone, their 2025 competition aims, new recruits and which players they believe are ones to keep an eye on.
Stay tuned for the full QAFLW season next week.
Morningside Panthers
Head coach: Paul Egan
Captain: Brad Hodge
2024 result: Premiers
Easy and obvious to say they were the big improvers of 2024 but in Egan’s second year at the helm they went from ninth to second and then on to a grand final victory.
Now eyeing back-to-back flags the Panthers have retained a fair majority of their premiership list plus added a few great additions.
“We’re still focused on having old school footy values at our club so not only have the new players embraced that but also the players that were able to experience the premiership last season have left their egos at the door,” Egan said.
“That enjoyment factor is still there and evident so the boys train hard and have bought into what we’re trying to build but also have fun while we do it.”
Key Ins: Taylem Wason (Warrnambool), Ethan Knight (Hamilton), Tristan Hobley (West Perth, WAFL), Harry Arnold (Sydney Swans), Peter Burke (Oregon, United States), Preston Cockatoo-Collins (Port District), Jack Rolls (Southport/Redland Victoria Point).
Key Outs: Dylan Swan (Overseas), Jake Goodwin (Boronia), Sam Godfrey (retired), Zak Straker (Cairns), Jake Lohman (Werribee) Declan Willie
Players to watch:
- Jude Seaton: Was a part of the Panthers Colts side last season but has had a ripping pre-season and looks to be in the mix for a QAFL debut in 2025.
- Matt Watson: Another Morningside junior that is tracking well and is expected to go to another level this season.
- Tom Horne: Coming off the back of an outstanding 2024 season, winning the Panthers B&F, named in the QAFL team of the year and being named the prestigious Joe Grant medal winner in the grand final.
What excites you the most: “No one thinks anyone is more important than the person standing next to them and that’s both on and off the field. Everyone is still buying into that philosophy so the players love the fact that any ego is left at the door and they train and hopefully play accordingly. We’ve still got a great list and those same key values that were there last season,” Egan said.
Redland Victoria Point Sharks
Head coach: Phil Carse
Captain: Mitch Stallard
2024 result: Runners Up
Despite suffering back-to-back grand final defeats, Sharks coach Phil Carse is not concerned about the impact the two heartbreaking losses will have on the side and believes his team is more than strong enough to bounce back again in 2025.
“They’ve been really good, we bounced back from a loss the year before and the resounding evidence they are still strong is that 90 per cent of the squad are still on board with us,” Carse said.
Key Ins: Charlie Offermans (Labrador), Cooper Anderson (Labrador), Jordan Bain (Alexandra Hills).
Key Outs: Jack Rolls (Morningside), Brock Aston (Morningside), Bailey Reeves (Country Victoria).
Players to watch:
- “Matt Hammelmann at full forward, Adrian Williams at fullback and Craig Malone in the ruck, we’ve got a really strong spine,” Carse side.
- Carse was also looking forward to seeing the impact of Josh Brown and Dylan Smith, who are younger players just beginning to enter their prime.
What excites you the most:
“Just getting into the games again, we’re a competitive group, we like to be challenged, we like to put the best foot forward,” Carse said.
“It has been a long pre-season and it’s great to get back out there.
“There’s no secret we want to be a side putting our best foot forward in the grand final and I’m excited to see if we can go one better.”
Aspley Hornets
Head coach: Adrian Pilgrim
Captains: Brandon Batchelor and Jordan Arnold
2024 result: Third
Pilgrim stepped into the limelight last season, taking over from Daniel Webster who was appointed head coach of Hawthorne’s AFLW side.
The Hornets were a class above in the regular season, finishing with 15 wins and three losses to finish as minor premiers but losses to Morningside and Redland Victoria Point in the finals put a stop to any dreams of three straight premierships.
“It has been a bit of an interrupted pre-season really so we’ve probably found it a little bit difficult to build into the opening rounds with any momentum,” Pilgrim said.
“In saying that when we have been able to get on the field it’s been a case of learning and trying to upskill as a group.
“We’ve had a semi-decent amount of player turnover so our main focus is getting our new players on the same page so our structures and systems are set in place.”
Key Ins: Leo Connolly (Port Melbourne/St Kilda), James Webb (Tasmania), Rory Tarlinton (Cairns), Charlie Hewwitt (Moreton Bay Lions/Brisbane Lions Academy) and Ryan Banks-Smith (Southport).
Key Outs: Errin Wasley-Black (South Australia), Jasper Craven (Victoria), Will Peppin (Tasmania), Tom Watson (Moreton Bay Lions), Nicholas Dodge (Mayne) and Will O’Dwyer (Maroochydore).
Players to watch:
- Joel Leahy: The club’s best and fairest winner last season after making the switch from Mt Gravatt. Leahy is a talented, explosive midfielder that possesses a goal kicking threat.
- Jake Howson: A young key forward that is continuing to rise through the ranks. Howson played half a dozen matches for Aspley in 2024 as a 17-year-old before missing the back end of the season due to injury. Had a huge pre-season and is ready to go to another level in 2025.
- Connor Stackelberg: A talented key forward and no doubt one of the most dangerous players in the competition.
What excites you the most: “I think it’s the blend of young talent we have coming through mixed with our experienced group. I feel like whilst we had injuries last season it gave opportunities to that next wave of players coming through and they’re really well positioned to take a bit more charge at this level. We’re a well balanced side, we don’t rely on individual guys each week which is great. Everyone plays their role and if we can get everyone on the same page the chances are we’ll be in games a lot longer.”
Palm Beach Currumbin Lions
Head coach: David Armitage
Captains: AJ Dawson and Jed Harrison
2024 result: Fourth
After finishing the regular season in fifth with 11 wins and seven losses, Palm Beach Currumbin fought to make it to the semi-final before going down to Redland Victoria Point.
However, it could have been so much better after the Lions stormed out of the blocks winning nine of their first 10 games, with the only defeat during that period a one-point loss to Surfers Paradise.
Armitage said a major focus this pre-season has been on fitness, with the payers in better condition than ever.
“Everyone is fit, we’ve just done a bit more workload throughout the pre-season, so training at a higher intensity and for longer than we did last year, so hopefully it puts us in good stead,” he said.
Key Ins: Levi Casboult (Gold Coast Suns), Rhys King (Albury), Harry Benson (Geelong) and Tom Simpson (Labrador).
Key Outs: Tom Hickey, Blayne Hull, Jon Croad, Ted O’Brien and Fred Valpied.
Players to watch:
- “We’ve got Harry Benson from St Mary’s in Geelong, he won two league best and fairests down there and captained his club.He’s a really good inside mid and a great leader.
- “Obviously Levi Casboult up forward is another one that should get a lot of service.”
What excites you the most:
“Just improving on last year as a club and being the club where people want to be at and create an environment where we enjoy our footy,” Armitage said
“We had a really strong start to this season, we were nine and one and fell away a bit and lost some key players.
“The positive is we got to blood a lot of young players we had 45 players throughout the year so that was a positive.”
Wilston Grange Gorillas
Head coach: Brent Moloney
Captain: Kailem Baker
2024 result: Fifth
The Gorillas had a well respected season in 2024, finishing with 11 wins and seven losses before bowing out in week one of the finals.
At one stage Grange were fancied as premiership contenders thanks to some brilliant individual efforts but just couldn’t hang in the fight against the more ‘well balanced’ sides.
After a fair bit of player turnover in the off-season Moloney will approach 2025 with a young list that shows plenty of promise.
Key Ins: Tyler Belloni (South Croydon), Jesh Morgan (Southport), Sam McDonald (Ballarat), Nelson Lane (Melbourne) and Chase Martin (Across the Waves FC/Bundaberg).
Key Outs: Daniel Bowles (Redcliffe), Zach Westenberg (retired), Hugh Fidler (medical retirement), Joel Budarick (Bendigo), Marly McGregor (Darwin), Bailey Gordon (Tasmania), Zak Derksen (Perth Demons), Will Martyn (Port Melbourne) and Billy Richardson (Sandringham).
Players to watch:
- Jake Fazldeen and Gus McFadyen: Both younger players rising through the grades and the Brisbane Lions Academy. Have both shown plenty of promise and will be exciting players to keep tabs on.
- Sam Pettigrew and Jacquin Mifsud: Both reported to have had ripper pre-seasons and are ready to fire in 2025. Mifsud finished as the Gorilla’s best and fairest runner up behind ex-Lion Rhys Mathieson.
- Archie Smith: Made his QAFL debut last season but has been highlighted as a regular for 2025. Moloney said Smith had taken his opportunities well and was expecting a new level of confidence this season.
- Chase Martin: A new recruit from Wide Bay that has been excelling in recent seasons and will now look to match it against some of the state’s best players. Martin is a 200cm, 100kg weapon that has also been earmarked in the Lions academy.
What excites you the most: “We’ve got a young developing list so it’ll be exciting to see the growth each player has in them. We’ve got a number of new players so it might take a little bit of time to gel but we’re really excited with the group that we’ve got as they’ve shown plenty of enthusiasm and drive.”
Surfers Paradise Demons
Head coach: Sam Dwyer
Captain: Harrison Fraser
2024 result: Sixth
Surfers Paradise was strong throughout the regular season in 2024 but Dwyer said key injuries at key times prevented the team from pushing any further up the ladder.
Dwyer has taken up the role as head coach with the Demons after previously serving as an assistant coach.
“It’s certainly a step up from just being an assistant coach,” he said.
“Because of the calibre of player that we’ve got and how much they put in and contribute to what the club wants to get out of the season, it makes my role easy.”
Key Ins: Zach Sears and Jamo Scott (Albury), Darcy Russell and Oscar Lear-Camci (Mooroopna), Cam Ellis-Yolmen (Wodonga), Hugh Greenwood (North Melbourne), Mitchell Dinneen (Wodonga)
Key Outs: Brodie Haberfield (retired), Jalen Curtis (retired), Cameron Topping (Robina), Hayden Crozier (returned to Melbourne)
Players to watch:
- “The inclusion of Cam Ellis-Yolmen is really exciting to get someone of his calibre. Since he’s arrived, his leadership and just experience and knowledge has been really valuable for the group,” Dwyer said.
- “We’ve got some really good kids that are coming through, they’re in VFL programs and academies. Oscar Wood is looking good, Lucas Snowball is looking good, we’ve got Matt Doran, Jamison Shea, and Alby Jones, they’re the ones that will be leading us.”
- Former AFL gun Hugh Greenwood has also joined the club and is expected to play when his Suns coaching duties don’t clash, which Dwyer is excited about.
What excites you the most:
“The buy in of the group and how well they’re connected,” Dwyer said.
“That’s really important having a connected group and the fact they’re all determined to get to that next level.”
Maroochydore Roos
Head coach: Steve Wildschut
Captain: Josh Govan
2024 result: Seventh
Wildschut came with a great resume last season and in his inaugural year he helped the Roos finished with an even nine wins and nine losses.
Seven of those victories came in the last nine rounds of the season, including a 24 point win over Morningside in round 19.
The Roos are a team on the rise and should be excited at the prospect of locking down a finals spot this season.
“We’ve really continued on from where we left off last season,” Wildschut said.
“Rather than teaching or having to implement our game plan we’ve continued to practice it and build on what we achieved in 2024 which has been really pleasing.”
Key Ins: Jonty and Harry McIvor (Wynyard), Jake Warran (Returned from Victoria) and Ben Kethro (returned to the club).
Key Outs: Ty Gallop (Drafted to Brisbane Lions), Hudson Vivian (Central Districts), Liam Adams (Country Victoria) and Adam Smyth (Country South Australia).
Players to watch:
- Bailey Hahn: Still a young player but made an impression in 2024 and will slot into the midfield for the Roos this season.
- Tom Holt: Brings plenty of leadership to the Roos side and will attract plenty of eyeballs on both sides of the footy in 2025.
What excites you the most: “We’re into our second year now of learning the game plan but everyone has it on lock so their actually teaching the new players which makes our job as coaches a lot easier. The group itself is driving where we’re heading which is really exciting.”
Labrador Tigers
Head coach: Chris Rourke
Captains: Matt Lee and Rhys Nicholls
2024 result: Eighth
It was a rollercoaster season for Labrador in 2024, losing head coach Clint Watts mid-season before finishing with eight wins and 10 losses.
Chris Rourke is the new man ready to take over, with the former Noosa Tigers coach spending last season as Labrador’s football operations manager.
Some key losses will no doubt make it a tough road for the Tigers but no doubt Rourke will have his side raring to go.
Key Ins: Will Manshanden (North Launceston), Lachy Kendall (Riverina), James Egan (Queanbeyan), Luke Coombes (Blackburn), Cade Gregory (Blackburn) and Kuot Thok (Aspley).
Key Outs: Tom Simpson (Palm Beach), Charlie Offermans (Redlands), Cooper Anderson (Redlands), Jake Goldsmith (Bundaberg), Jay Foon (Cairns), Aiden Fyfe (Gold Coast Suns), Darcy McEldrew (injury) and Matt Watmuff (retired).
Players to watch:
- “Luke Coombes is coming back into the club, he’s a previous junior and had a really good pre-season,” Rourke said.
What excites you the most:
Rourke said he was eager to see how the side performs in a competitive environment after months of pre-season and was also looking forward to seeing how the younger players perform.
“We want to see how our younger players develop,” Rourke said.
“They’re going to get opportunities so excited to see them step up.”
Broadbeach Cats
Head coach: Danny Nolan
Captains: Blake Erickson and Lucas Jellyman-Turner
2024 result: Ninth
After a mixed bag of a 2024 season which saw the Cats claim a victory over minor premiers Aspley Hornets but finish ninth with eight wins and 10 losses.
“We’ve had a positive couple of months recruited really well and numbers on the track have been good, things seem to be going in an upward direction,” Nolan said.
“We have maintained most of our list and most importantly, the top echelon of our list, so everyone we wanted to keep, we kept.”
Key Ins: Matt Harvey (Bendigo FNL), Beau Bailey (MPFNL), Aidan Hare (WAFL), Adrian Speedy (MPFNL), Jye Lane (WAFL), Liam Nelson, Sam Jasper, Ryan Gilmore.
Key Outs: Tom Reeves, Corey Hitchcock, Finn Gray
Players to watch:
- “We expect some big things from our core players from last year. Blake Erickson, Lucas (Jellyman-Turner) should be huge again for us. We’re definitely better for getting a year of footy into younger players,” Nolan said.
What excites you the most:
“Just I think there’s a totally different feel, there’s a lot of returning premiership players that are quality people as well,” Nolan said.
“With the new recruits, it’s a different feel at the club given the influx of people and returning players.”
Sherwood Magpies
Head coach: Brett McEvoy
Captain: Unknown
2024 result: Tenth
Was unavailable for comment prior to publishing.
Noosa Tigers
Head coach: Matthew Leuenberger
Captain: Jono Freeman
2024 result: Eleventh
Leuenberger took over as head coach last season and quickly learnt the level of competition he and his Tigers side were at.
Noosa picked up just three wins in 2024, two over Mt Gravatt and one over Labrador which many locals say was one of the club’s best ever performances.
As it always does, the Noosa lifestyle has created some key turnover for the Tigers and they’ll enter the 2025 season with a younger side on paper.
Despite this they do have some key experienced players sprinkled in the mix and they’d be hoping to push for a spot in the finals.
“We’re still a fairly young group but there’s been a fair realisation from a lot of the local guys of the level we’re competing at,” Leuenberger said.
“We’ve been banging on about the different requirements, extra conditioning, a personalised program and all the rest of it which we’re starting to see which is great.”
Key Ins: Angus Byrne (Echuca), William McKenzie (Keilor), Charlie Bowes (Greensborough) and Matthew Gaul (Maribyrnong Park).
Key Outs: Jai Fitzpatrick (Mildura), Ryan Crisp (Cairns), Lachie Flagg.
Players to watch:
Mitch Conn: “Picked up our club best and fairest quite comfortably last season and made the QAFL team of the year. It was a great effort considering we didn’t pick up too many wins so he’ll be another standout for us this season.”
Jono Freeman: “A state level representative that just has plenty of experience and a calming energy on the field. He’s a great leader on both sides of the ball and will be a key player for us.”
Mav Pettigrove: “Still a younger player but really broke through last season and will look to continue his form in 2025.”
What excites you the most: “The continuity of games into our youngsters will be the main thing. It’s exciting heading into the season knowing and hoping some of those players will take the leap and make that jump to the next level. They’ve done the work but the unknown is still there as it doesn’t click for everyone so we just have to hope the rewards and improvement rolls in.”
Mt Gravatt Vultures
Head coach: Hamish Mitchell
Captain: Austin Brent
2024 result: Twelfth
After a tumultuous 2023 it was a true slog for the Vultures last season who failed to pick up a single victory in their 18 matches.
Despite the on-field results there’s no arguing that the Vultures are getting their senior side back on track thanks to a number of new recruits and returning players.
Mitchell said there had been roughly 25 new faces at the club this season, all driving to get Mt Gravatt back into finals contention.
“We already look very different to how we looked last season so the biggest challenge has been not knowing how each other play, their strengths, weaknesses and so on,” he said.
“We’re not being unrealistic with how far back we were, we know we’ve still got a long way to go but we’re on the up and that’s exciting.”
Key Ins: Brady Rowles (Bendigo), Lachlan, Josh and Jack James (Sherwood), Ollie Elliott (Coorparoo), Jared Greenhill (ADF), Lex Rodger (returning to football), Josh Smart (Redland Victoria Point), Max Hoffman (Cairns City), Lincoln Edgar (Glenmore), Simi Vuniwaqalevu (ADF), Josh Liddington (Rockhampton), Daniel Hodgson, Jamie Whitehead (Surfers Paradise), Cohen Frith (North Mackay) Bradley Knowles (Canberra) and Noah Milton (Melbourne).
Key Outs: Tom Hurst, Matthew Hardess, Jack Baker and Ben Jeffery.
Players to watch:
Kaden Corboy and Jack Paterson: Both younger players that have had great pre seasons after getting some senior games under their belt in 2024. Corboy and Paterson have grown in confidence and are ready to match up strongly against some of the better teams of the competitions.
Cody Finlay: Switched the basketball for the sherrin last season and was a great prospect in the ruck. Finlay looks in great shape for 2025 and is growing in confidence every week.
What excites you the most: “We’re just going to be a lot more balanced and more experienced across the board. We’re still a young side but we’ve got a few more older heads that those boys can lean on or learn from throughout the season. There’s also plenty of unknowns in terms of players and what we’ll achieve so there’s no real pressure. I feel like we’ll be tougher and we’ll be competitive in a lot more games.”
Coorparoo Kings
Head coach: Leigh Harding
Captain: To be announced
2024 result: n/a
The Kings enter the top flight for the first time and excitement is brewing at Coorparoo.
“It’s massive, our ability to have the pathways for all our club to come through is super important, our women have had that and now the men have now got that pathway,” Harding said.
Key Ins: Kyle Dunkley (Brisbane Lions VFL), Nathan White (Victoria)
Key Outs: n/a
Players to watch:
- Nathan White has come back to QAFL playing in after country Victoria,” Harding said.
- “Then we have got Kyle Dunkley who comes from the Lions VFL.
- “Then the people who have been around Will Abbott through the midfield and Ben Hogan across halfback.”
What excites you the most:
I think the challenge of what the competition brings,” Harding said.
“The major one is the growth of some of our younger players in the competition.
“And just growing as a club identity.”
Originally published as QAFL 2025 season preview: Key recruits, gains and losses, coaches aims
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