KOONDROOK-Barham will have a different, yet familiar look about them next season, with the River Raiders confirming the appointment of Marcus Demaria as senior coach in 2025.
Having quietly stepped down as Woorinen senior coach last month, Demaria will embark on a new challenge with Koondrook-Barham, after the club finished with just one win and a last place finish for the second season in a row.
Demaria will replace former coach Will Callow, who will depart the River Raiders with a one win, 31 loss record over his two seasons in charge of the club.
The two-time Woorinen premiership coach will depart the Tigers after 10 years at the club, with Demaria telling The Guardian this week that the “time was right for a new challenge.”
“I’ve been at Woorinen for the past 10 years and it (changing clubs) was something I had a good think about,” Demaria said.
“They (Koondrook-Barham) have always been a club that I’ve looked at from afar and really respected.
“There’s some really good people with that I’ve been able to build some solid relationships with over the years and it’s always been a club that’s kind of stood out to me, where I would think that perhaps I wouldn’t mind going there one day and coaching that footy club.
“We’d been in discussions for a little while and after the last couple of games at Woorinen I sort of thought that it might be best that I moved on and let Tim (Free) take the reins there.
“I think it’s a win for all parties really, I had some honest discussions at Woorinen and I initially said no to the Raiders job and I was going to stick around in a joint capacity with Tim.
“But after thinking about it for a bit, I thought I have to move on and let Tim take the reins, which was the plan initially with bringing him on board at Woorinen.
“I felt like I’ve done everything I could at Woorinen and it’s time to move on.
“There’s only so many times you can re-invent yourself as a coach and I felt like I’d done all that I can at Woorinen.
“I was just thinking ahead to next year and it just wasn’t going to work, the timing is right and 10 years is a long time to coach one club at country footy level.”
Demaria will leave Woorinen as the club’s most successful coach in its recent history, with the Tigers expected to announce their coaching team for next season in the coming weeks.
Having missed the finals for the first time in his tenure at the Tigers, Demaria will move to Koondrook-Barham in the midst of a rebuild, with the potential to impact a talented young group of players in the same way he built Woorinen’s 2018 and 2019 premiership teams.
“They’re not far off to be honest, if you have a look at some of their results this year, they were far from disgraced,” Demaria said.
“They had opportunities to win and they were in games for long periods of time.
“You look at the game against Balranald earlier in the year and they probably should have won that.
“The game late in the year when they played Kerang and they were in front at half-time and then they ended up beating Tyntynder in their last game, so they’re not far off.
“It’s about trying to get that extra 10 or 15 per cent out of the current list and then looking to add in a bit of experience, some quality elite talent and bring it all-together.
“I’m really looking forward to it, but it’s not just about the senior team, it’s about the whole club and the community as well, I’m looking forward to sinking my teeth into it.
“It’s exciting, there’s some good kids at (Koondrook)-Barham and some kids that I coached in the under-18 interleague team in 2023 and it’s just a very appealing club to me.
“The timing was right, so I thought let’s have a look at it.”
The appointment of the two-time Woorinen premiership coach was announced by Koondrook-Barham on the club’s social media platforms on Thursday.
“We are thrilled to announce the appointment of our new senior football head coach, with an incredible career spanning over 280 senior games, his experience and leadership will be a huge asset,” the club stated.
“We are excited to have Marcus, his partner Emily, and their two beautiful daughters, Harlow (3) and Scottie (5 months), join the Raiders family.”
