New Winchelsea coach Ben Moloney has been dealt a blow early in his tenure at Eastern Reserve following the departure of star forward Jordan Gould.
Moloney has confirmed to K rock Football that Gould, who kicked 55 goals to share the GDFNL goalkicking title and was named to the Team of the Year, will return to home club Tantanoola in South Australia’s southeast in 2025.
He says the lure of playing at his family club was too hard to ignore for Gould, who is understood to have Thomson premiership star Logan Mitchell joining him at the Mid South East League club.
“I’ve said to him and the group since I’ve come on board that family’s No.1,” Moloney said.
“If they come first, I’ll never begrudge anyone from making that decision.
“He wants to go back to his home club and play some footy with some good mates.
“He’ll still have a bit to do with the club while he’s living in Geelong, and the door is always open for if he wants to come back.”
Moloney says Winchelsea, which has welcomed back Indi Parish and Alex Gubbins and added big man Zac Herman, is actively recruiting for a replacement.
“The irons are in the fire, that’s for sure,” he said.
“We’re not necessarily trying to fill Gouldy’s shoes, but get someone who can play that position or that role.
“We’ve certainly got the cattle on the park.
“We’ve picked up a couple of guys that will hopefully be able to assist around the ground that might allow us to move guys in different positions.”
The return of Parish after one season with Colac Imperials will see him reunite with brothers Cassidy and Fin.
Gubbins, a former club captain, GDFNL representative, and Team of the Year member, hasn’t played since 2021.
“He actually called me; he said, ‘I want to get back involved in footy’,” Moloney said.
“I knew Gubbo from back when he was playing at Terang Mortlake.
“Once we announced it (Gubbins’ signing), it got some pretty good reactions.
“There are a lot of guys who think Gubbo’s one of the better players to come through the Winchelsea Football Club.
“It’s a significant signing, not just on the field.”
Moloney has also made a handy addition to his coaching staff, signing the highly respected Subali Armstrong as an assistant coach.
X: @krockfootball
