How each Central Australian Football League club is shaping up for 2025
Reigning premiers Pioneer are chasing a record breaking CAFL flag total, but the rest of the competition is hot on their heels for a title tilt of their own. See how each club is shaping up for 2025.
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Reigning CAFL premier Pioneer will again be a powerful force in the Alice Springs competition through 2025 when the new season kicks off on Saturday.
Joint coaches Adrian McAdam and Steven ‘Weeties’ Hayes will again take charge of the green and gold jumpers as they pursue a league record 34th senior flag.
McAdam, the former North Melbourne goalkicker who set the AFL competition alight in the early 1990s, said this season’s Eagles side would be more than competitive in defence of last season’s crown.
“We should be competitive with the young blokes coming through the ranks and 16 players from the grand final side going again this season,” McAdam said.
“We’ve lost some good young players, including Kaleel Ross who has gone over to Rovers, Elijah Baker who has gone down south to have a crack and Robert Nardu, but the quality will definitely still be there.”
Federal has appointed John Glasson as its senior coach after finishing runners-up to Pioneer in the grand final.
Glasson took Rovers to the first semi-final in 2024 and joins a Federal side intent on winning a second senior flag in three seasons.
“While I’ve still got the fire burning I thought I’d look around to see who wants a coach after Rovers told me they were moving in a new direction,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to the journey with Federal after being lucky enough to be offered the job with the club who will look a bit different this year.
“I’m a coach who goes with what he’s got and not what he hasn’t got, including (three-time Minhan medallist) Abe Ankers, who will be playing interstate this season.”
Utility Nathan Mutch is back in a red and white jumper this season, along with community footballers Alonso Nelson, Ivan Jurrah, the son of former Melbourne forward Liam and Troydon Ross.
Reggie Smith Jr has taken over the coaching role at Souths after Chris Forbes decided to step down at the end of the 2024 campaign.
Smith assured fans of the blue and white jumpers his side would be a competitive unit in 2025 despite losing Deacon Braun to Rovers in the lead-up to the new season.
“But we’ve picked up Kynan Barnes from Federal and Henry Driffen from Pioneer in big plusses for us,” he said.
“It’s good to go into a new season underestimated, it’s when opponents come into matches a bit under prepared and we’ll be ready for them.”
Rovers have turned to a familiar name as their senior coach in 2025 with former AFL Swan and Saint Fred Campbell assuming the role at the Double Blues.
“The club has brought me back to where it all started as a player and now I’ll finish as a senior coach,” Campbell said.
“I’ve had a year off to recharge the batteries and I’m ready to go along with the players for what we hope will be a successful season.
“We’re all pretty excited about the new season, beginning with Westies this weekend where we’re keen to put on a show and get a good hitout.”
The Double Blues have added the experienced Deacon Braun to their playing list and former Pioneer youngster Kaleel Ross, who adds class and pace to the forward line.
Nothing has changed at West Alice Springs, where incumbent coach Ben Ellis has set the same theme for a season where the Bloods move up the league ladder.
Wests showed flashes of consistency last season after some lean seasons for the red and black jumpers and Ellis wants more by way of player commitment and drive if the club is to move forward.
“Jordan Bailey and Josh O’Brien are two recruits we’ve picked up and they look likely types which will help our playing depth,” Ellis said.
“It’s been a busy time in my two years in charge trying to get a rebuild going and the club moving in the right direction and hopefully we can see some results on the field this year.”
In women’s football, Anthony McGuire will take over the coaching reins at reigning premier Rovers.
The Double Blues won a thrilling grand final against Wests last season and will be looking for more success under the guidance of McGuire.
“The goal is definitely to win back-to-back premierships, knowing that Alice is quite a transient town and the challenges involved in winning another flag,” McGuire said.
“We’ve lost our premiership captain Delsey Campbell, who has moved to Darwin, but we retain the Wilson twins, Carly and Brooke and Ebony Abbott-McCormack.”
Keialah Satour will captain the Rovers women this season, with Maggie Johnson her deputy.
Other club coaches in what looms as a highly competitive Senior Women’s season, include joint coaches Hope McSkehan and Emily Johnston at Wests, Jackson Ankers at Federal, Cyril Rioli Jr at Alkamilya and Sheralee Taylor at Pioneer.
McSkehan and Johnston have the tough task of snapping an unlucky three-game losing sequence in grand finals after losses to Rovers (twice) and Alkamilya.
Senior Men: Pioneer v Federal, 12.30pm Saturday; Rovers v Wests, 6pm Saturday.Senior Senior Women: Souths v Alkamilya, 7.15pm Wednesday; Pioneer v Federal, 9am Saturday.
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