DARYN Cresswell has recommitted to Wodonga Raiders for the next two seasons.
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The Sydney Swans champion will lead the Raiders for a third season in 2017 before he plans to hand over the reins to a senior assistant in 2018, when he will take on a director of coaching role.
Cresswell lifted the Raiders to third on the ladder in his first year at the helm and they are in contention to feature in September again this season.
With his wife, Jo, coaching the Raiders’ netball side, Cresswell said he was always keen to remain at Birallee Park.
“It’s a really good club with really good people,” he said.
“Jo is really entrenched with the netball and the club is heading in the right direction. We’re pretty settled here, we’ve made some really strong friends like Rick Leeworthy and Travis Cartwright, and we can’t see ourselves moving for the next three or four years.
“It was a good opportunity to continue building what we’ve started with our culture and what we stand for. It’s another year in the progression of where we want to be.”
Cresswell said the Raiders were pursuing a playing assistant for next season with the 2018 senior leader to come from within their coaching structure.
“I’ll just be in the background helping out as much as I can trying to fast-track the kids to play senior footy,” he said of the director of coaching-style role.
“I’ll be working with all the coaches, right through the ranks.”
Cresswell, who played 244 games for the Swans from 1992 to 2003, has plenty of experience in the coaching box.
He arrived in the Ovens and Murray from Queensland club Palm Beach-Currumbin after being an assistant at both Geelong (2004) and the Brisbane Lions (2005-06) in the AFL and coaching Tasmania in the VFL in 2007-08.
Raiders president Nic Conway was thrilled to secure Cresswell’s signature.
“We’re stoked,” he said.
“There were a lot of stresses coming from the bottom of the ladder into the top-three and to be in a position to contend for finals again this year is a great effort.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing what we can achieve in the coming years.”
Capping off a good week for the Raiders, Hadar Homes has recommitted as the club’s major sponsor and David Nichol has signed on as football manager for next season.
“On and off the field we believe we are in a good position,” Conway said.