2024 SUANFC Pride Round; 27th July
June 6, 2024
2023 Coaching Panel Announcement
Sydney University Australian National Football Club has finalised its coaching slate for its mens and womens teams ahead of the start of the 2023 season. The breadth and depth of talent across the coaching team is a testament to the strength of the club heading into the season.
- Felix Faber
- 27/03/2023
Sam Power will be steering the Men’s Platinum Division side, with a previous premiership under his belt as Men’s Division 2 coach. Power, who previously served as the Club’s President from 2018-2021, will be assisted by Josh Toyer and James Mason. The coaching team are aiming high, with Power saying “With myself, JT and Maso taking up the reins of coaching the Blues together we are very excited to enter a new era for the Blues in the Platinum Division competition. We see this as a step up for the group and we are looking forward to challenging deep into finals.”
The Women’s Division 1 side will be coached by Richard Nicholl, a seasoned coach with experience coaching the Men’s Premier Division side as well as Women’s teams. Nicholl was confident that the season would be an important opportunity for development for the side, saying “Look, I’m a big believer in ‘you win or you learn’, and either will be positive for the girls”.
The Men’s Platinum Division Reserves side will be headed by long-term player and 2020-2021 Division 3 coach Justin Hazelton. Hazelton was eager to get stuck into the new division, saying “Me and the team are really excited for this year and the challenge of joining platinum reserves. It will be great to play against some teams we haven’t played in many years and push to prove ourselves in a new comp.”
Already announced Men’s Senior Coach, Matt Vicic will lead the Men’s Premier Division side, assisted by line coaches Lewis Stevenson, Andrew Sierakowski, Lindsay Scown, Dean Cleary and Katie Dean.
Jon Dyster,who has already been announced as the Senior Women’s Coach, will be joined by Assistant Coach James Lees who has spent the past two seasons coaching the Women’s Division 1 and Division 4 sides. Dyster and Lees will be assisted by line coaches Matt Dyster and Xavier Maling. In addition, the Women’s team will have the support of Mikaela Mahony as a player/development coach, rounding out the coaching team and fulfilling the club’s commitment to increasing the number of coaches in our women’s program.
Tony Edser will be steering the Men’s Division 3 side, having won the side’s Best and Fairest for his efforts in the 2022 season. Edser said he was “Looking forward to the new season ahead with a great group of blokes. The training has been great, and we are eager to transfer the hard work to result on the field”.
Julia Mathers will be heading up the Women’s Division 4 team, having earned her stripes as a seasoned veteran of the side. Mathers was excited for the season to begin, saying “I’m very excited to be coaching the Gems this year. They are a fantastic group of new and returning players, and I can’t wait to see them hit their straps from Round 1.”
The Men’s Premier Division Reserves will be coached by Oscar Gibbins for the third season in a row. Gibbins has been a coach since 2015, having cut his teeth as Colts Head Coach from 2018-2020. Gibbins said he was “feeling confident about the year ahead. We’ve got a lot of the same guys from last season, with some handy new additions added to the squad as well. The boys seem to have a chip on their shoulders and are ready to go one better in season 2023.”
SUANFC’s U19s teams will see Tim Spehr continue as Head Coach. Spehr’s track record, having led the U19s Division 1 side to Premiership glory in the 2022 season, and seven years of coaching experience, will serve the side well as they seek to repeat last year’s result.
Ken Johnston will head up the U19s Division 2 side, and was excited for the opportunities for development the season would provide the young team, saying “We have a talented bunch of boys displaying high levels of engagement at training as the older players have shown great leadership and the new players are settling into our system well. I’m really excited to see where the season takes us.”
The 2023 Season will be kicking off on 1st April. The Full Fixture can be found HERE