Club stalwart James Gallagher coaching North Mackay Saints senior men

Four-time premiership winner James Gallagher has taken on the senior men’s coaching role at the North Mackay Saints. He talks candidly about how he plans to return the celebrated team back to the winner’s circle.

A champion player for the North Mackay Saints, James Gallagher has now stepped into the senior men’s coaching role for the 2025 season.

The Norths Mackay Saints are looking to be more “structurally correct” in their quest to reclaim the AFL Mackay senior men’s crown.

Club legend James Gallagher has taken on the coaching role and is pretty happy with how his team has started its 2025 campaign.

The Saints have been a dominant force in the competition, winning five straight flags before their impressive run was halted by the Eastern Swans in last year’s decider.

James Gallagher celebrated his 200th senior game for the club with a big win over Bakers Creek.

With the majority of last year’s grand final line-up back this season, Gallagher is confident he has the talent to get the job done.

And he knows what it takes, having captained the first premiership of the Saints’ winning streak.

The 20o-game stalwart also guided the club’s women to victory in 2023.

“The boys are showing very promising signs early that they’re more than capable of success this year,” Gallagher said.

North Mackay Saints' skipper Steven Pugh will be a key figure again this season. Picture: Supplied

“They are feeling the burn of a loss last year and I know that complacency certainly won’t be an issue.

“The one thing I give these boys credit for is they do challenge themselves to be better than yesterday.”

Gallagher said his troops came out “pretty hungry” in their past two games, scoring wins against the reigning champs and then the Mackay Magpies at the weekend.

Dynamic centre half-forward and vice-captain Cameron Hill landed six majors against the Magpies, earning plaudits from the coach for his tireless performance.

Centre half-forward was the Best on Ground in the Saints’ 2022 grand final win and his continuing his strong form. Picture: Marty Strecker

He would be vital to the Saints’ prospects, as would skipper Steven Pugh who Gallagher said was “formidable” and one of the league’s best.

Gallagher said he wanted the Saints to play with intensity

“For us, it’s just about being more structurally correct,” he said.

“We want to be more specific on how we want to play and how we implement on game day the tactics we train.

“Every week, each opponent brings different problems and we’re looking to solve them as we go.”

Originally published as Club stalwart James Gallagher coaching North Mackay Saints senior men