MATTHEW ASHENDEN

SENIOR COACH

Coolangatta Tweed Heads AFL is pleased to announce the re-appointment of Matthew Ashenden as Senior Club Coach for Season 2022.

Matthew comes to Cooly with a wealth of coaching experience as both a school sports coach at a local Sports Excellence School, specialising in AFL as well as coaching senior AFL football within Southern Queensland.

Matthew has spent the past five season at Kenmore Bears in our own Div 2 Competition with appearances in finals in every season across both the senior and reserve grades, finishing up with Division 2 premierships for both Kenmore Senior and Reserve Grade men for season 2020.

Season 2021 was badly impacted by Covid-19 and despite having limited numbers of players available, the Senior and Reserve Grade Men’s teams both made the Preliminary Final, with the Senior Men losing to the eventual 2021 Premiers.

AGE: 38
Years Coaching Coolangatta AFL: 2
Recruited from: Kemore AFL Club (QFA Division 2, Queensland)
Premierships: Kenmore AFL Seniors 2020, Kenmore AFL Reserves 2020
Coolangatta Results: Grand Final (Colts) 2021 Preliminary Final (Seniors and Reserves) 2021

GARY ISAACS

RESERVE GRADE COACH

Coolangatta Football Club has the honour to announce the re-appointment of Gary Isaacs as our Reserve Grade Coach for 2022.

Gary is the longest serving current coach at Coolangatta AFL and has been our reserve grade coach for a number of years.

Gary is keen to continue with the development of our reserve grade playing group and having taken them to the preliminary final in 2020 and season 2021, although badly impacted by Covid-19 and despite having limited numbers of players available, Gary led the Reserve Grade Men back to the Preliminary Final.

Gary wants the boys to go that “one more game” better in season 2022.

AGE: 52
Years Coaching Coolangatta AFL: 5
Recruited from: Sunraisia Australian Football League
Coolangatta Results: Preliminary Final (Reserves) 2020, 2021

KANE HALL

COLTS COACH (UNDER 18.5 YEARS)

Coolangatta Football Club has the honour to announce the re-appointment of Kane Hall as our Colts Coach for 2021.

Kane is a legend within our Club and was an assistant to our 2018 Colts Team.

Kane has most recently been plying his coaching credentials with our own Junior Club, Tweed Coolangatta Junior AFL Club as the under 16.5s coach.

Kane is bringing these boys up to senior football for 2022, with 9 Colt’s players debuting in the Senior Men’s team during season 2021.

Kane and the boys finished equal first on the home and away ladder and qualified for the Grand Final, only to have to forfeit because of Covid-19 restrictions preventing the team from travelling across the border to Surfers Paradise to play.

We have retained the majority of our 2021 Colt’s team who have unfinished business in season 2022.

AGE: 43
Years Coaching Coolangatta AFL: 2
Recruited from: Tweed Coolangatta Junior AFL Club
Coolangatta Results: Grand Finalists (Colts) 2021

Gerard Robinson

Assistant Coach

Gerard has agreed to terms and will join the coaching ranks with the Senior Men’s group for season 2022.

Gerard has a wealth of playing experience, having played in excess of 500 senior games across NSW, Victoria and Queensland, with his last season in 2021, when the “Silver Fox” was awarded Life Membership of the Coolangatta AFL Club.

Gerard has enormous experience and premiership success with the Tweed Coolangatta Junior AFL Club as well as other Clubs across the nation and will provide a calmness and mentorship to our younger players, many of whom he has already coached in the junior ranks.

AGE: 49
Years Coaching Coolangatta AFL: 1
Recruited from: Coolangatta AFL Playing Group (142 Games)
Club Life Membership 2021
Coolangatta Results: Preliminary Final 2020, 2021

Joel Tippett

Assistant Coach

Joel has agreed to terms to come on board as an Assistant Coach in season 2022 with the Coolangatta Football Club.

Joel has already reached the pinnacle of the sport having played professionally for the Gold Coast Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Joel was also was listed with the Brisbane Lions from 2007 to 2009.

After that he moved to South Australia where he joined West Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League.

After Joel’s AFL career was cut short, due to injury, Joel now teaches Health and PE to high school students in South East Queensland and is now seeking to move into the Coaching ranks with the Coolangatta AFL Club.

AGE: 35
Years Coaching Coolangatta AFL: 1
Recruited from: North Melbourne AFL Club

James Royes

Assistant Coach

James has come to his first season at Coolangatta Football Club via the Gold Coast Suns Academy and a number of seasons playing with Broadbeach QAFL, where James played 76 QAFL Games, kicked 25 goals and was named in the Broadbeach QAFL Team of the Decade (2010-2019).

James has been brought to Coolangatta to assist the coaching staff with his physical approach to the game as well as his ability to inspire others with his bruising tackles.

James’s experience and versatility saw him play across all areas of the ground and this experience will be a tremendous asset to the future of the Coolangatta Football Club and especially our youth development.

AGE: 28
Years Coaching Coolangatta AFL: 1
Recruited from: Broadbeach QAFL

CRAIG SALISBURY

FOOTBALL MANAGER
PLAYER WELFARE OFFICER

The Club is pleased to announce the re-appointment of Craig Salisbury agreeing to assist the Coolangatta Football Club by taking on the dual roles of Football Manager and Player Welfare Officer for season 2022.

Craig remains independent of the Management Committee and has vowed to be a strong, vocal advocate for the playing group either as an individual or from a team perspective more generally with the Coaching staff and the Management Committee.

In the football space, Craig has a wealth of experience coaching both men and women’s football at a junior level with a number of junior premierships to his name.

AGE: 47
Recruited from: Tweed Coolangatta Junior AFL Club
Coolangatta Results: Preliminary Final 2021 (Seniors and Reserves)
Grand Final (Colts) 2021 

NICK PLUMMER

WATER DISTRIBUTION ENGINEER

Years of Volunteering with Coolangatta Tweed AFL: 11
Awards: Club Life Membership 2021

GLENN PIDGEON

WATER DISTRIBUTION ENGINEER

Years of Volunteering with Coolangatta Tweed AFL: 10