Daryn Cresswell, Leigh Poholke and Steve Johnson change country football clubs
The 2025 country footy season starts in just over three months and there have been some major off-season coaching moves. Here are the ones to watch.
Country footy is taking a breather for Christmas-New Year, but it won’t be long before clubs return to training in preparation for another big season in 2025.
Recruiting is still happening with more signings to be revealed ahead of the new season starting.
But there has been no shortage of big coaching moves since the end of 2024.
The Weekly Times has ranked the top 10 to watch next year.
1. DARYN CRESSWELL, Corowa-Rutherglen
The Ovens & Murray club, which spent 2023 in recess, is buzzing again and much of the hype has to do with the appointment of Cresswell as coach.
Corowa-Rutherglen has 55 player points at its disposal and if recruiting to date is any guide, most, if not all of them will be used most weeks next season by the coach taking the reins at his third O&M club.
What happens with points for 2026 is a decision for down the track.
But first and foremost for Cresswell, who delivered a flag to South Cairns before departing midway through a two-year contract, is winning games.
Corowa-Rutherglen won one match last season.
Expectations are high the Roos will win more in 2025, but predictions of playing finals need to be tempered given the tightness of the competition again.
2. LEIGH POHOLKE, Moe
Following a successful stint in charge of Sorrento, Poholke is the latest coach to be handed the job of bringing one of the longest flag droughts in major league football to an end.
Moe has not won a flag in the Gippsland league since 1967 and Poholke takes over from Declan Keilty, who has taken the Lions into finals the last two years without making a grand final.
The incoming coach’s prospects have been helped by Keilty staying on and the signings of Ben Crocker and Myles Poholke, who played together at the Adelaide Crows.
3. STEVE JOHNSON, Newtown & Chilwell
The former Cats champ is back in familiar surrounds as coach of Geelong league club Newtown & Chilwell.
He coached Yarrawonga in the Ovens & Murray for two years and went within three points of being a dual flag winning coach following a shock loss to Wangaratta Rovers in the grand final in 2024.
Johnson had the chance to return to his original club, Wangaratta, but opted to revive the fortunes of Newtown & Chilwell in one of the state’s premier country footy leagues.
4. TROY COATES AND JACK FALLON, South Bendigo
The legendary Kerang coach and player returns to the Bendigo league in a co-coaching capacity with Jack Fallon, who has also played previously in the competition.
Coates coached Strathfieldsaye to the 2019 flag before heading back to Kerang for more success and Fallon played in an Eaglehawk premiership.
Together they have attracted a swag of recruits including Josh Nitschke and Kaiden Antonowicz.
South Bendigo finished ahead of only Maryborough and Kangaroo Flat in 2024 with perhaps only Eaglehawk’s finals spot this year the one that could open up in 2025.
5. JYDON NEAGLE, South Mildura
After back-to-back finals appearances with Balranald including a grand final loss to Kerang, Neagle has taken over as coach of the Sunraysia league wooden spooners in 2025.
Neagle’s younger brothers, Matt and Jaxon, will join him at South Mildura as will another Balranald player of recent times, Harrison Soraggi.
Imperials showed in 2024 a Sunraysia league club could go from wooden spooners to premiers in the space of 12 months.
6. DARRYL WILSON AND JORDAN HUMPHREYS, Calder United
A new era begins for the Nullawil-Wycheproof-Narraport merged club with the Nullawil coach Darryl Wilson and captain Jordan Humphreys in 2024 taking charge in a co-coach set up next season.
After a recruiting blitz, Nullawil missed finals last season as did its merger partner Wycheproof-Narrport.
Calder United has successfully retained key players from both teams last year including Matt Wade, and topped up with Balranald midfielder Kobe Lloyd and Eaglehawk key defender Oscar Maddern.
7. ASHLEY CONNICK, Birchip-Watchem
After a six-season stint with Sandhurst, which culminated in the 2024 Bendigo league premiership, Connick has headed to the North Central league for his next big coaching challenge.
He takes over from Trevor Ryan with expectations the Bulls will remain in the leading pack of clubs next season.
They’ve retained key trio, Nic Rippon, Ben Edwards and Hamish Hosking, and picked up triple Wimmera league premiership defender Ben Lakin.
8. TREVOR RYAN and JAKE McQUEEN, Nhill
Nhill snapped a 14-season finals drought in 2024 under first-year coach McQueen, who had returned to the club from recent stints in the VFL and Ovens & Murray.
But next season he will be joined as co-coach with country football coaching legend Trevor Ryan, who comes to the Wimmera league for the first time.
Ryan most recently coached Birchip-Watchem and coached the Bulls to the flag in 2022 before falling to Sea Lake-Nandaly in this year’s grand final.
9. LACHLAN TARDREW AND BRYCE CURNOW, Sandhurst
The Sandhurst premiership defence in 2025 is in safe hands with the league’s premier onballer, Tardrew, stepping up as co-coach.
The coaching vacancy at the Dragons was created with Ashley Connick’s move to Birchip-Watchem.
Last season, Tardrew tied for the Michelsen Medal with two grand final opponents from Gisborne – Brad Bernacki and Braidon Blake.
Tardrew was also best-on-ground in Sandhurst’s first flag win since 2016.
10. CLINT PROCTOR, North Ballarat
The Ballarat league has come up with a more than handy replacement for Brendan McCartney, who has taken on the job of coaching VFL team Port Melbourne.
Clint Proctor joins the Roosters after coaching Box Hill for two years in a role previously occupied by current Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell.
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