Claremont Magpies ready to fly in 2025 under new head coach Nathan Senior

Claremont endured a rough 2024, with an average losing margin of 196, but is confident of big improvement this season. New coach Nathan Senior gives an insight into his plans.

Claremont will look to scrub the demons that was 2024 under a new senior coach in 2025.

The Magpies had a dark year finishing winless in 2024 with an average losing margin of 196 points.

But the club is now looking to the future signing a new head coach, Nathan ‘Wombat’ Senior.

Senior said it has been a slow start to pre-season but it’ll be a big year of growth for the club.

“I started a bit late, I have only just started as coach, I was only appointed several weeks ago,” Senior said.

“So I have only had about six weeks with them, but very young.

“We are going to be very young and enthusiastic which is going to be very good.

“Playing a lot of kids this season, they are training pretty hard which is great.”

Senior has held various coaching roles at rivals Lindisfarne where he played 167 games and earned a life membership.

Claremont Magpies new head coach Nathan Senior (left) shakes hands with club president Dennis Bird (right). Picture: Supplied

SFL: Claremont’s Jack Adams looks to get a handball off while being pressured by Lindisfarne’s Edan Bailey. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

To go along with his time at Lindisfarne, Senior was a reserves coach at Brighton and a senior coach at Channel and Campania where he led them to a grand final appearances.

“I just like to think, and no disrespect to the other coaches, but I like to bring in a new culture to the club and bring in some excitement back round the football club with the past players and supporters back on the seats and give these kids a fair opportunity,” Senior said.

“I want these guys to be the future of this football club and start working our way back up the ladder over the next few years.

“I just want to see improvement and the board that appointed me is backing me 150 per cent.

“The club is backing me which is great, we have had a couple meet and greets, so we are starting to get the supporters back to the footy club.

“These kids are really keen, the training standards in the five weeks I have had them on the track has stepped right up.

“They’re willing to learn, they are putting in the hard work, I have got a fitness coach and they are getting fit and they are putting their right foot forward.”

The Magpies are keen to get their first win on the board since June 17, 2023.

“They are all big rivalries but we want to be knocking off the top team but I would say the biggest rivalry will be Lindisfarne because that's where I originally from,” Senior said.

“Over the years we’ve always had massive battles with Claremont-Lindisfarne.”

Claremont will be putting the captaincy votes to the players this week and will announce the captain and vice-captains next week.

“We are just trying to build this club back up and get it back to the top where it deserves to be and everyone buying in from the board to the supporters to the playing group,” Senior said.

“That is the big thing that has been on my whiteboard since I started was ‘One Club’.

“The women have been up the top for quite a while, they have won the last couple of flags and going for three in a row.

“We are trying to get to the pinnacle of that, so very exciting at the moment.”