Sport
16 August, 2024
Changes on the horizon
Senior coaching changes are already in the pipeline as the 2024 season comes to a close.
Talbot announced two weeks ago that Phil Crouch will be stepping down at the end of the season from the senior football role.
The Hawks are still a mathematical chance to play finals, but it is likely Crouch’s last game in charge this weekend.
Crouch has coached the Hawks to 12 wins from 31 games, with the Hawks dropping from seven wins this season to five with one game to go.
There is good news for the Hawks, however, with the club announcing on Wednesday night that A grade netball coach Eleisha Phelps would be returning for the 2025 season.
Phelps’ influence has helped guide Talbot into the finals for the first time since 2009, taking a club that went winless in 2022 to seven wins with one game to go, and will prepare for their elimination final next week.
This week’s opponents for the Hawks, in the Maryborough Giants, will also be announcing a coaching change for their second season, which will see playing-coach Damian Cupido move on at the end of the season.
Cupido has overseen the inaugural season for the Giants, who have won four games, and will be seeking their fifth in their final match of the season this week.
It will also be the final game in charge this week for Avoca coach Zack Lubeek, who will step aside after coaching the club for the past two seasons.
However, Lubeek has already been announced as a re-signing for the Bulldogs in season 2025.
It has been a tough run for Lubeek in charge, with just five wins from his 31 games in charge, with three of them coming against the winless Campbells Creek in both 2023 and 2024.