Gisborne Giants announce senior football, netball leaders ahead of Riddell District debut

Gisborne Giants has locked in its senior football and netball leaders ahead of the club’s entry to Riddell District senior competitions next year.

Gisborne Giants appoint their senior leaders for 2025.

It’s full steam ahead for Gisborne Giants as its looks to step up to Riddell District senior football and netball next year.

The developing club has made three significant appointments ahead of its senior debut in 2025.

Andrew Hall has been named senior football coach, working with former RDFNL football operations manager Aaron McLean as football director.

Adrian Craske has taken on the dual role of senior netball coach and netball director.

Giants president Brad Gauci couldn’t have been happier to welcome the three new additions to the club.

“We’re thrilled to get three people of that quality,” he said.

“The experience they can bring to the club will help us forge forward into our full affiliation in senior football and netball in 2025.

“We’re on track for 2025, that’s the reason we wanted to get these positions filled.

“We’re full steam ahead with planning and all three appointments will start to integrate themselves into the club.

“We’ll start pre-season in November but they’re already on deck so we’re not rushing around to get people on board and start pre-season programs.”

Hall is a professional physiotherapist and has worked with Port Adelaide, Richmond and Collingwood and Coates League club Calder Cannons.

He also has experience at local level with the likes of Rupertswood, Sunbury Lions and Strathmore.

Craske brings more than a decade of netball coaching and management experience.

He helped establish Caroline Springs’ netball program, coached the Parkville representative team at the 2024 Associations Championships and also has extensive experience in junior coaching.

Meanwhile, McLean comes on board after five years with the RDFNL as football operations manager.

The highly credentialed administrator has also spent time at VFL clubs Coburg and Werribee as well as Riddell District rival Macedon.

“Andrew applied through the process … it was really good to see the number of applications we got and the quality that was coming through,” Gauci said.

“We appointed who we think is the best person for the job.

“Adrian’s experience he’s bringing to the club puts him in a really good position to lead the whole netball program.

“He can work our pathway from juniors all the way through to seniors.

“He has connections outside the RDFNL to take pathways to Parkville and Vic Netball, he’s got the ability to push our juniors and make recommendations if they want to pursue netball as a career.

“And Aaron, the experience he had not only at the league but Coburg and Werribee, also Macedon, combined puts us in a really good position to help us move forward.

“The connections he’s got, his experience, he can guide us in areas that we may not be experts in so we’re really happy to get him on board.”

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Gisborne will join the senior football and netball competitions next season.

The Giants’ reached the under-19 grand final last season and currently sit on top of the ladder with a 9-1 record, while its under-17s are second.

The club’s netball program doesn’t have an under-19s team this season but is performing strongly at under-17 level.

The Division 1 team sits second, while the Division 2 team is fourth, both on track to play finals.