Rushworth sign Mark Wheatley as coach as the club looks to return

A country footy club in the state’s north has taken a major step forward in a possible return to senior footy with the announcement of a new coach.

Rushworth is on track to make a triumphant return to the Kyabram District league senior competition a few months after it was almost over for the club.

The Tigers have hired Mark Wheatley as senior coach for next year in their first step to returning to the field.

In 2023, the club fielded only a reserves team that won three games.

And at the halfway point of the season, the Tigers faced an even greater uphill battle than they could have imagined.

“Early in the year I wasn’t on the committee, our other president resigned,” president Dean Shepherd said.

“I got put on the committee on a Thursday night, the president resigned on the Friday night and I got booked in as president on Monday.

“A month in I was talking to the football committee, the boys in charge of football and I said ‘what are you doing for next year?’

“They said ‘we don’t know, haven’t been told anything’.

“I said ‘I think you better get going and have a crack and see how you go.’

“Get some feelers out.”

The proactive approach by the president led to the team getting Wheatley.

Rushworth president Dean Shepherd with new coach Mark Wheatley. Picture: Rushworth Football Netball Club.

A former coach of Imperials in the Sunraysia league, the new Tigers recruit has also been part of the Casey Demons as an assistant coach in the VFL.

“Mark’s name came up (to coach) and a week and a half later he signed,” Shepherd said.

“We were impressed in the way he presented himself.”

Now the next challenge is finding players.

“Mark’s doing his due diligence now (on players),” Shepherd said.

“We’ve got one of our guys on the committee with a list of names and our ex-coach has got a list of names too.

“They are all putting the feelers out and if anyone is interested we give their numbers to Mark and Mark makes contact with them.

“We’ve got the base, now we can build on the base.”

Shepherd said the goal was simple, to bring senior footy back to Rushworth.

“At the moment we are in a rebuilding phase,” he said.

“All we want to do is get the culture back in to the club, get the town involved.

“As Mark said we might not win every game but we want to be competitive.

“He said we are aiming for four or five wins in the season and (if we get it) that’s a positive.

“It’s going to be a buzz, a big buzz (when we come back).”

If you want to help the club or play for them, you can contact them on their Facebook page.