100 Years in 2025
The 2024 season is done and in the history books, so our attention turns to 2025... a momentous year for the club as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of our first year of footy.
Today we’re unveiling this anniversary logo, which will be at the forefront of the club’s branding for the next 12 months.
We’re extremely fortunate to have past player Sam Kenny as part of the Mulgrave family... Sam is a very talented designer who donates a heap of time and professional work to the club, and once again he’s absolutely nailed it with this logo.
We didn’t want anything radical - It had to be unmistakably Mulgrave - so the colours remain as such, and the main typeface is familiar from our existing logo.
The iconic lion is also featured.. we’ve been wearing that for nearly 40 years now.
You’ll also recognise the red vee on white, a nod to a very successful period in our history. From the 1940s to the 1960s we wore the South Melbourne-style red and white strip. We won a number of flags in the 50s in this jumper, making it a key part of our history.
This logo and other designs will feature on a heap of 100-year edition merchandise over the next 12 months, so keep your eye out for that.
It’s a big 12 months ahead for Mulgrave... If you’ve been part of the journey in any way at all, make sure we have your contact details so we can keep you up to date on everything that’s happening. If you haven’t already, ensure you’re on our mailing list - click here to sign up.
Award winners 2024
The club held its annual Presentation Night on Friday, October 4th at Novotel Glen Waverley.
Award winners were as follows...
Lion Pride Award
"The player whose conduct, attitude and leadership, on and off the field, best exemplifies Mulgrave’s values and desired culture."
Seniors: Alex Hardie
Reserves: Anthony Mercuri
Under 19.5: Ben Kirchner
Under 19.5
Best Finals Player: Max Taborsky
Best & Fairest Third Place: Oscar Bartlett
Best & Fairest (Joint winners): Max Taborsky & Noah Smith
Reserves
Best Finals Player: Jason Hook
Best & Fairest Third Place: Sam Sleeman
Best & Fairest (Joint winners): Jordan Cochrane & Mitch Peddle
Mick Arnott Rising Star Award
Ben Kirchner
Seniors
Best Finals Player: Connor Tilyard
Best & Fairest Third Place: Connor Tilyard
Best & Fairest Runner-Up: Angus Gervasoni
Tom Baines Memorial Trophy: Senior Best & Fairest
Lin Jong
Life Member Inductions
Steven Grenda
Chris McDermott
Check out photos from the night right here
2025 Coaching Announcements
We’ve got some new appointments and a bit of shuffling in our football department for the 2025 season…
David Rowland
After three years as General Manager of Football, David Rowland will be stepping off the committee.
GM of Football is one of the most critical roles at the club with oversight of the playing list, recruiting, football budget, coaching staff, the Under 19 program, medical, matchday volunteers and more. David has filled this role diligently and with great energy over the past three seasons and leaves our football program in the strongest and healthiest state it has been in a very long time.
Please join us in thanking David for all his hard work in this role. It’s certainly not farewell, you’ll still see him around the club!
Steve Grenda: General Manager of Football
Current Reserves Coach Steve Grenda will move into the GM Football role in 2025.
A former Mulgrave captain and Senior B&F winner, Steve returned to the club in 2023 and took on the Reserves Coach and Chairman of Selectors role in 2024. His vast footy experience on and off the field and his passion for Mulgrave make Steve an ideal General Manager of Football.
We’d also like to acknowledge Steve’s work as Reserves Coach in 2024. His efforts in the role were enormous - he brought his own approach, delivering key messages with a good dash of humour and motivation. There were major challenges toward the end of the year with a ridiculous run of injuries, but Steve was able to drive the team toward great results. Those that performed so well when stepping up to the seniors were yet further proof of his impact. Well done Mongy!
Ned Rowland: Reserves Coach
Ned Rowland will be our Reserves Coach in 2025. Ned joined the club as a player in 2017 and has become an admired figure and leader among the playing group over the ensuing years. He is well placed to move into coaching and it’s fantastic to have him starting that journey with us. Our young and talented Reserves squad will be well served with Ned at the helm.
Jordan Cochrane
Under 19.5 Coach Jordan Cochrane will be stepping down from his role. A Mulgrave senior player, Jordan has done a superb job in this extremely important role over the past two years. He’s overseen a period of transition in the Under 19.5 program, with some great new recruits and a fantastic group of players from Glen Waverley Rovers coming through to Under 19 football over the past two seasons. Jordan has managed this extremely well and created a strong bond and environment with the Under 19 group, who are loving their footy and showing a lot of promise for the future.
Balancing playing with coaching the colts is no easy task, particularly on a matchday - we’re indebted to Jordan for all his hard work, particularly in recent times where he has been living a very long way from the club. Along with this move Jordan and partner Mietta also have their first child on the way, so it’s a very exciting time with footy having to take a back seat for a little while!
Having said that, here’s hoping we still see a little bit of Jordan of a Saturday, albeit in a more relaxed role!
Josh Carden: Under 19.5 Coach
Under 19.5 Assistant Coach Josh Carden will be stepping into the U19.5 head coaching role in 2025.
This is a great outcome for all concerned... Josh is already so familiar with the club and this group of players, so is well placed to take the group forward again in 2025. The vast majority of our 2024 team are again eligible to play Under 19s in 2025, so with a few new additions, we look forward to another enjoyable year with Josh at the reins.
Please join us in thanking Jordan and David for their hard work, and congratulating Steve, Ned and Josh on their new roles.
Senior Coach 2025
We’re thrilled to confirm that senior coach Matt Richards is locked in for a third season at the helm in 2025.
Since taking on the senior role at the end of 2023, Matt has worked tirelessly to drive the standards, performance and on and off-field culture required to push the club forward in an extremely competitive environment. On Saturday the club secured finals berths for all three teams, just as we did last year in Matt’s first season in the senior coaching role.
As our focus turns to 2024 finals campaigns, securing Matt’s commitment gives the committee and the club the stability required to keep planning for 2025 and beyond.
Richo is one of the club’s most loyal servants and much more than just a senior coach. Not a day goes by when he isn’t up to his neck in something to do with Mulgrave. We’re blessed to have somebody of his vision, passion and unmatched workrate at our club.
As we approach our centenary year in 2025 - a time to reflect on past achievements and our hopes for the future - it would be fantastic to see some of the many people who hold Mulgrave dear follow Richo’s lead and start thinking about how they are able to assist the club and our players in continuing the Mulgrave journey. While nobody is expected to come close to Richo’s scale of commitment, running a footy club is an enormous job and can only be done with as many people as possible chipping in. Whether it’s in the football department or off the ground, and even if you can only make a small time commitment, any assistance whatsoever is desperately needed and hugely appreciated. Our great club is in a very good spot once again as we approach our centenary celebrations, with all three teams up and firing and a great vibe around the place... but to push it further forward and really deliver on our potential, we need more people to stand up and be counted. All you need is a good attitude, a bit of work ethic, and a desire to be part of something very enjoyable and positive. Hit us up for a chat, please.
