Daryn Cresswell has emerged as the surprise frontrunner to coach Corowa-Rutherglen next season.
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Despite being in the first season of a two-year contract with South Cairns Cutters in the AFL Cairns competition, speculation is rife Cresswell is keen to return to the Border next year.
The Border Mail believes Roos officials recently flew to Cairns to meet Cresswell to gauge his interest in replacing Steve Owen at the helm next season.
Owen is in the second season of a two-year deal of coaching the Roos after being appointed coach before the club was forced into recess for 12-months last year.
Cresswell has strong ties to the area with his landscaping business still based on the Border.
He also remains close to former Corowa-Rutherglen and Wangaratta Rovers midfielder Sam Carpenter who he coached during his four-year stint at WJ Findlay Oval.
Carpenter has been helping the Roos with recruiting after he called time on his decorated O&M career at the end of the 2022 season.
Former North Melbourne VFL players Tyler Roos and Josh Clayton who also spent time in the O&M at Wangaratta Roves and Wodonga respectively, both play under Cresswell at South Cairns Cutters this season.
The pair both played for Corowa-Rutherglen against Lavington on the weekend to add to the growing speculation that Cresswell will be at John Foord Oval next season.
Roos committeeman, John Elmore, declined to comment whether Cresswell could be lured away from Cairns when contacted by The Border Mail on Tuesday.
Landing Cresswell as coach would be a major coup for the Roos.
The former Sydney Swans star boasts an impressive recent record of turning around the flag fortunes of struggling O&M clubs.
He coached Raiders to four successive finals campaigns from 2015-18 after having collected the wooden spoon the previous season.
Cresswell then joined rival club Wangaratta Rovers in 2019 after they had also finished with the wooden spoon in 2018.
The Hawks narrowly missed finals in 2019 before reaching the preliminary final in 2022 after two years of COVID.
Cresswell has forged a reputation as the man with the midas touch when it comes to recruiting with his extensive contacts and being able to land high-profile recruits.
The Roos have both points and salary cap concessions this season with 60 player points compared to the league's base of 40.
They also have an extra $25,000 allowance above the $125,000 salary cap.
A non-playing coach's salary is not included in the salary cap.
South Cairns Cutters missed the finals last year finishing sixth in the seven-team competition with a 6-10 record.
The appointment of Cresswell has sparked a major turnaround with the club ladder leaders and undefeated with 6-0 record after eight rounds.
