Who’s coaching who in 2022? We look at the Northern league’s new faces
Six club made coaching changes this off-season while several others elevated trusted assistants to co-coach. Check out every 2022 NFL club coach.
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With Rob Maiorana officially reappointed at West Preston-Lakeside, the Northern Football League coaching puzzle is complete.
Six clubs have changed coaches since the season was called off due to Melbourne’s COVID lockdown.
There will also be some new faces in co-coaching roles, with three more clubs hoping two heads are better than one.
Check out who is leading every club below and what their prospects looks like for 2022.
DIVISION 1
BUNDOORA – Michael Ryan
Ryan enjoyed a successful debut season in charge of the Bulls and will have even more talent at his disposal in his second season. After luring Sam Lloyd to Yulong Reserve straight out of the AFL, Bundoora secured Eltham junior and Essendon best-and-fairest winner David Zaharakis for 2022. The Bulls finished second this season and will be expected to contend for the premiership next season.
GREENSBOROUGH – Saade Ghazi
Ghazi returns to local footy after a couple of years as an assistant at VFL power Williamstown. After a grand final in 2019 and third place in the shortened 2021 season under Mick Harford, Ghazi hopes to take the Borough to the next level – a premiership. Easier said than done but with talent like Tom Bell and the best defensive unit in the competition, Greensborough are never far away.
HEIDELBERG – Danny Nolan
The Tigers’ youth project continues to deliver and in Nolan’s second season in charge the club will hope to take the next step and compete for a premiership. Nolan, a club legend as a player, led Heidelberg to a fourth-place finish in his first season and had Lachie Wilson claim the Rosbrook Medal and Matt Smith win the Coaches’ MVP. If Tom Bellchambers sticks around and becomes a reliable avenue to goal, look out.
HURSTBRIDGE – Jarrod Tilley & Brayden Shaw
The best mates will co-coach the Bridges in 2022. Shaw was senior assistant to Tilley the past couple of years but will officially step up alongside him next season. They’ll need the partnership to gel quickly if they are to keep Hurstbridge in Division 1 with several clubs strengthening considerably this off-season.
MACLEOD – Craig Hayes
Following a year out of coaching, Hayes returns to replace Christian Stagliano at Macleod. He’s previously coached Eltham in the top flight so he’s got the experience at the level. Macleod have contended for finals under Stagliano but just couldn’t quite get the job done, can Hayes take them to the next step? Time will tell.
MONTMORENCY – Garry Ramsay & Jesse Donaldson
Ramsay enters his third season of what was a “three-year plan” when he took the reins in 2019 and will be mentoring Donaldson as a potential successor. Montmorency have certainly won the off-season so far, bringing in AFL midfielder Lin Jong, EDFL Team of the Year forward Danko Bzenic and Eastern league stars Mitch Honeychurch and Liam Buxton. It’s finals or bust at Para Road.
NORTHCOTE PARK – Steve Saddington
The Cougars were saved from relegation by COVID but still had some bright spots in Saddington’s first season. The Northcote Park premiership star has wasted no time strengthening for his second campaign, determined to avoid another relegation battle. Jordan Schroeder and Alex Boyse were two of the better talents in the EDFL and along with a fully fit captain Paul Dirago and Ben McNiece will make Northcote Park are far tougher task.
NORTH HEIDELBERG – Jason Heatley
Taking the reins from Brent Harvey, Heatley had the Bulldogs in the frame for a top-two finish until a late-season fadeout saw them finish fifth. With a season under his belt and a full pre-season expect Heatley to have a better handle on his team in 2022. Jhye Baddeley-Kelly’s return is a massive boost and Brock Chircop is a shrewd recruit from Craigieburn.
WEST PRESTON-LAKESIDE – Rob Maiorana
The two-time premiership coach was the final piece of the NFL coaching puzzle when he was locked in late last month. Maiorana would have been in high demand but stuck true to the Roosters as they look to complete a hat-trick. Losing Jackson Clarke will hurt but there isn’t a better “team” in the competition. Added ex-Macleod coach Christian Stagliano as senior assistant.
WHITTLESEA – Blair Harvey
Whittlesea showed some promising signs in their return to Division 1, knocking off North Heidelberg and Montmorency. After leading Whittlesea to a premiership in his first season, Harvey is looking to cement the club as a Division 1 power in what will be his third campaign in charge. The arrival of Jarrad Waite will be a massive boost and Curtis Brown is another handy pick up.
DIVISION 2
BANYULE – Paul Harris & Ricky Dyson
After guiding Banyule to a grand final in 2019 and minor premiership in 2021, Harris will be joined by Bundoora premiership coach Ricky Dyson in 2022. The pair will also have former Lower Plenty adversary Ben Turner as an assistant, forming arguably the best coaching combination in the entire NFL. Unless something extraordinary happens, the Bears will enter next season as premiership favourites.
DIAMOND CREEK – Andrew Tranquilli
The Creekers were denied a return to finals due to COVID ending the season but showed they can match it with the big boys in Tranquilli’s first season in charge. With a season under his belt and a full pre-season, expect the former Collingwood player to have a better understanding of his players in 2022. Finals are certainly a possibility but can they challenge the top four?
ELTHAM – Rob Hyde
Hyde returns for a second season in charge of Eltham but 2022 won’t be as easy (if you can call it that) as 2021. The Panthers will be without talismanic midfielder Brent Macaffer and Tim Currie, while their rivals have only improved. However, if anyone can get the best out of his group it is Hyde and no one will be dismissing Eltham as a premiership threat.
EPPING – Aaron Newport & Glen Lehner
The Pingers have taken a different path for 2022, installing first-time co-coaches. Newport and Lehner have worked together for a number of years, so have a good understanding of each other, but will it translate to senior level. Time will tell. They’ve already suffered some major hits with Jhye Baddeley-Kelly and Sage Dicello departing. The heat will be on to avoid relegation.
FITZROY STARS – Lionel Proctor
It was a tough first season in charge for Northern league and Fitzroy Stars legend Proctor. The Stars won one game in 2021 but are looking to hit back hard in 2022. Ex-Essendon player Nathan Lovett-Murray has been joined by brothers Tyson and Djaran in a big boost to the Stars hopes. Expect a vastly improved showing next season.
LOWER PLENTY – Phil Plunkett
After a few years away coaching in the VAFA, Plunkett returns to the NFL but in the unfamiliar Division 2. The former Heidelberg and Bundoora premiership coach will look to take Lower Plenty straight back to Division 1 after replacing Ben Turner. There’s certainly plenty of talent to work with, most notably reigning league best-and-fairest Tom Key. A genuine premiership contender.
PANTON HILL – Simon Amore
The Redbacks stepped up to Division 2 with aplomb under first-year coach Amore. Panton Hill won three games – strangely all on the road – in 2021 and have established a good foundation. The first goal will be to win a game at Cracknell Reserve next season but after that another rise up the ladder is certainly within the Hillmen’s grasp.
ST MARY’S – Fabian Carelli
The Burra finished sixth but were only outside the top five on percentage after a seven-win campaign. St Mary’s had a good early-season win over Thomastown but were able to challenge a top-five team for the rest of the season. Entering his third season in charge, Carelli has the young talent – most notably Tane Cotter and Rory Hanlon – at his disposal to turn his team into a finals contender.
THOMASTOWN – Mario Bandera
The Bears finished fourth in Bandera’s first season in charge but showed they’re not far away from premiership contention. Thomastown beat Eltham twice, were 1-1 against Diamond Creek and were well beaten twice by Lower Plenty. The addition of three-time Division 3 league medallist Jaryd Coulson bolsters an already strong midfield division and could provide a much-needed key forward presence.
WATSONIA – George Lattouf
Lattouf will take charge for a third season, looking to help Watsonia rise up the Division 2 ladder. The Saints won three games and finished eighth in 2019 and repeated the dose in 2019 but sat seventh when the season was called off. Lattouf has been preaching development in his first two seasons but he’ll need his players to take the next step in 2022 if the club wants to avoid a relegation battle.
DIVISION 3
HEIDELBERG WEST – Michael Missen
While the Hawks finished fifth in Missen’s first season in charge – a game outside the top four – it’s hard to argue they weren’t a little hard done by when it came to the fixture. The Hawks only played the bottom three teams three times and the top three seven times. The loss of Jaryd Coulson is a massive blow but West is still well placed to break its finals drought in 2022.
KILMORE – Nathan Phillips
The Blues have finished second and third the past two seasons and are ready to launch a premiership challenge in 2022. The club has now had five years under Phillips and will be looking to take the next step. The fitness of reigning Division 3 league best-and-fairest Chris Ryall will be critical after he injured his knee just before the season was called off.
LALOR – Angelo Lamanna
There’s new Blood (forgive the pun) at Lalor. Lamanna takes the reins from Gary Cutler after previous jobs at Eastern league clubs Bayswater, Croydon and Lilydale, Olinda Ferny Creek in the Outer East and a development role at VFL outfit Casey Demons. The Bloods are in a long-term rebuild and Lamanna’s development background should be a good fit.
LAURIMAR – Jimmy Atkins
A win over arch-rival South Morang in what proved the second last game of the season should give the Power plenty of motivation over the summer. The two are expected to again be premiership front-runners in 2022 and Atkins will have a better understanding of his players in his second season. Josh Leather is one of the best young rucks in the entire league and will be critical to Lauimar’s 2022 hopes.
MERNDA – Rob Fletcher
It was a tough initiation for Fletcher in his first season as Demons senior coach. However, there are plenty of promising youngsters coming through, which bodes well for the future. The likes of Will Crouch, Josh Mazzarella, Riley Vincent, plus experienced forward Bryce Kimuliatis have all re-signed. Expect a vastly improved Mernda in 2022.
OLD ELTHAM COLLEGIANS – Matt Sleeman
What a season for Old Eltham. If COVID hadn’t have shut the season down they were sitting fourth and preparing for a maiden Northern Football League finals series. Sadly, it didn’t happen but it should give the club plenty of momentum heading into 2022 and Sleeman’s second season in charge. Securing star defender Matt Keys might be one of the recruiting coups of the off-season.
RESERVOIR – Justin George
Following a messy parting of the ways with Jason Hamilton, the Mustangs have turned to George to continue the club’s rebuild. The new mentor has previously led Shepparton Swans in the Goulburn Valley league and Kilsyth in the Eastern, and had roles with Richmond Central, Parkdale, Maribyrnong Park, West Coburg and Sandringham Dragons. If he can lead Reservoir to its first win in four years, it would be a massive achievement.
SOUTH MORANG – Gary Hall
The Lions were denied a shot at a long-awaited premiership by COVID and Hall will have to re-energise his players over the summer after an outstanding 2021 season. The Lions were undefeated until what proved to be the second last game of the season and have retained the vast majority of their minor premiership-winning squad. Will enter 2022 as flag favourites.
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