Reigning premier Thomson signs Josh McDonald for the 2025-26 season
A GCA reigning premier has pulled off one of the biggest coups in recent history by snaring a champion batter and keeper after more than 10 seasons at Premier level.
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Former Geelong Cricket Club skipper and keeper Josh McDonald will join reigning GCA3 first grade premiers Thomson next season.
Shepparton product McDonald, who called time on his Premier career in March, has strong off-field connections with the Tigers.
In what had become one of the GCA’s worst kept secrets, the club confirmed on Tuesday that McDonald would play at Godfrey St.
McDonald was revealed to be one of the leading batters at Kardinia Park over the past 10 seasons.
However, McDonald, who got married on the weekend, previously told this masthead he had no coaching aspirations for the 2025-26 season.
The Tigers, who brought in Zac Smith, Jackson Burke, Blake Ritchie, and Shane Bremner from Corio midseason, beat Marshall by 61 runs in the grand final last month.
It comes as McDonald’s friend and former Cats teammate Hayden Butterworth joined Leopold in GCA2.
Joel Davies to coach Murgheboluc
He’s developed a fondness for one side of the game of cricket, but don’t expect Murgheboluc’s new senior coach Joel Davies to be back playing anytime soon.
Davies, 36, was unveiled as the Frogs’ main man on social media last week, after taking on batting coach duties during the 2024-25 season at King Lloyd Recreation Reserve.
Through a connection with Frogs captain Luke Brown, Davies found a niche at Murghe and was impressed by their fantastic facilities in a picturesque environment.
“I found I actually quite liked that,” Davies said of the new gig.
“It’s a club that can go places if we can put in some good structures around the place.
“It became pretty apparent they’ve got a good group of close-knit mates that are quite young,
“And experience is what they needed around the group to develop not only the first eleven but the whole club in general.
“It just seemed like a good fit ... and here we are.”
But there’s no chance of Davies — revealed to be one of GCA1’s top performing batters of the past 10 seasons – actually playing in 2025-26.
“Certainly not, no,” Davies said with a chuckle when asked by this masthead of his chances of putting on the creams next season.
“I’ve got no interest in playing.”
Davies, who would cross to Anglesea for his swansong of 22-23 from South Barwon, to play with friends Brett Venables and Ty Norman, said he had grappled with the feeling for at least three years while at the Swans he might be done.
“I was enjoying the game a lot less, but I was enjoying the people at the club and the people I’d grown up with,” Davies said.
“The social side of it kept me going, but it just got to the point with work and family and sitting out there for six hours on a Saturday where I really wasn’t enjoying that side of it, it got too much.”
Davies had also been tempted to play under then Roos coach Bryan Thomas, who has since shifted back to Grovedale, whom he had known for around 20 years.
“It was always going to be it,” he said of that final season.
“I played a lot of cricket when I was younger, and playing cricket 10 months of the year ... since I was probably 14.
“It’s a lot of cricket, and just the love for playing the game went away.”
Hayden Butterworth to play with Leopold this summer
Two local run machines will land at GCA clubs next summer.
Leopold Cricket Club scored an early off-season coup last month by enticing Hayden Butterworth to the Lions for the 2025-26 season.
Butterworth, revealed to be one of the leading batters and bowlers at Kardinia Park over the past 10 seasons, retired after the 23-24 campaign.
He was the leading batter for the Cats that year with 628 runs at 39.25, to bow out on a personal high.
Butterworth, who joins his brother Chad and father Tom at Leopold, played 361 Premier matches, scored 9574 runs with 12 centuries and took 277 wickets and the best figures of 6-63.
However, it’s a return of sorts, with Butterworth playing for Leopold in a GCA T20 competition alongside brother Chad during the 16-17 season — reuniting the pair after playing together 15 years prior in a C Grade clash for Ocean Grove.
It comes as the GCA anticipates where Butterworth’s friend and teammate Josh McDonald may head in 25-26 after calling time on his Premier career last month.
Lions gun Tom Treble, who will continue in his co-coaching role alongside Reece Plumridge next summer, said Butterworth would bring plenty to the table.
“It was a drawcard with Chad being at the club and Tommy his old man who has been helping out for many years now, it was a nice wholesome thing to see all three of them together at one club,” Treble said.
“He is going to be helping in a non-official role ... an assistant coach type thing.
“The thing with ‘Butters’ is he’s a guy that once he commits to something he gives a lot of time and effort to people.
“He just won’t be able to help himself, he’ll help younger guys and others to be better, it’ll just come natural.
“There’s no really need to appoint him in any official role.”
He said Butterworth taking a break from cricket during the 24-25 season would freshen him up.
“I definitely think there was a need for Hayden (to take a break), playing cricket at the highest level takes its toll on you, just being able to mentally show up each season,” he said.
“To have that break, it will be able to refresh you a lot, and he has other interests, he’s a very social person.”
Meanwhile, leading batter Corey Ogle may return for 25-26.
After a semi-final finish in 23-24, Leopold slipped to sixth this season
In a statement last month, the club said the return of Butterworth would “bring so much to Leopold in every aspect”.
“Hayden is an incredible clubman and someone who the entire playing group will be able to train alongside and learn immensely from,” the club said.
Meanwhile, Murgheboluc has announced that South Barwon batter Joel Davies will coach the club for the next two seasons, taking over from Dan Grozdanovski after three years.
Grozdanovski, who guided the Frogs to their maiden first grade flag in 28 years two seasons ago, told this masthead he expected to continue playing for the Frogs, but ultimately needed a break.
“Joel joins us with an exceptional pedigree, having spent time with both the Victorian and South Australian state programs along with an impressive career at Premier and local levels,” the club said.
“His cricketing knowledge and coaching expertise are second to none and we can’t wait to see him bring his vision to life at the Frog Pond.”
Davies, who played for South Australia at an under-23 level, departed South Barwon for Anglesea ahead of the 22-23 BPCA season.
Davies was revealed to be one of the most prolific batters of the past 10 GCA1 seasons.
It comes after Anglesea coach Bryan Thomas stepped down as Roos coach 24 hours after a semi-final loss to Barwon Heads, then announcing he was the new senior mentor at Grovedale the following day.
In other off-season whispers, this masthead also understands a GCA club in the upper echelons is prepared to spend up to $15,000 on a top order batter.
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