After an incredibly impressive 2025 football season in which the Eagles seniors missed out on a place in the Goulburn Valley Football League grand final by narrow margins, there has been a changing of the guard. With co-coach Jack Hutchins stepping down, it is his former co-coach Mitch Wareham who will look to take advantage of the impressive foundations the club laid during this past season. Wareham, a former Eagle onballer who played a part in their 2009 premiership season, steps into the role of head coach after a transition period in which he spent 12 months as co-coach with Hutchins after assisting the former AFL Gold Coast Suns for two years. Brett Mahoney and Matt King will make up Wareham's coaching staff as assistant coaches. The incoming coach has paid tribute to his outgoing colleague. "Jack is a credit to himself," Wareham said. "The knowledge he has, the values he brings to the table, he is valued by everyone at the club. "If he chooses to play on next year - which he has expressed an interest in doing - he will offer so much as a player and a mentor to the younger guys." Having helped lay the groundwork with Hutchins over the past three seasons, Wareham sees no reason to undo any of the good work done by his predecessor. "We had a pretty good season this year, finishing third on the ladder and getting into the prelim. "We want to build on that. "We've got a pretty good list, there's a lot of experience but there's also a lot of youth and energy coming through. "I want to see the team going through all four quarters next year because fitness and work-rate will carry a team when skills fail them, as skills do at all levels all the way up to the AFL." While Mitch is happy with the group of players currently plying their trade at the Eagles nest, he hasn't ruled out the club making moves during the off-season. "It's early days, we will have to see how things shape up. "We are working on re-signing existing players at the moment. "When everyone returns for preseason training it will give us an idea of where the holes are in the squad and which players we need to take a run at to improve our chances. "There will be positions up for grabs and there will be young guys coming through the ranks trying to grab them, we are in a really exciting place. "It's a very good time to be a part of the Mansfield Football Netball Club and there is a really good feeling about the place. "The club is filled with good people from top to bottom, the players, the staff, the committee and the sponsors are all doing their bit to make the club a great place to be. "The off-field work has gone from strength to strength year on year and that will help us retain our players and make some signings. "We have a big preseason ahead of us. "We need to do a lot of work to capitalise on last year's success but the team in place gives us a great chance of doing exactly that." Asked whether he is feeling the pressure of expectation with Hutchins having stepped away, Wareham was pragmatic. "The expectation sets a high bar for us but if we have a good preseason and play as well as we can, we can raise that bar." Rounding out the coaching team at the Eagles will be player/assistant coaches Brett Mahoney and Matt King. Brett will oversee training at the Mansfield Recreation Reserve with Wareham while Matt King will make sure the Eagles cohort who are based out of Melbourne through the week are working to the same gameplan. Wareham is delighted at the makeup of the coach team for 2025 "Matt King is an incredible asset to have on board at the club, an experienced VFL captain, a great leader and a great person. "Brett speaks for himself with his 18,19, 20 years of experience. "You wouldn't know it but we went to school together. "He looks the same at 35 as he did at 15. "His dedication and commitment to himself and to his footy sets an example to everybody else."
