Chris Crawley, who served as captain under Moloney in the Mininera and District league in 2015, will take his first step into coaching with the Kangaroos.

Crawley described the move to Mack Oval as a family commitment, with his wife, Kristy, also set to come across to play netball, while their three children – aged seven, three and one – will become familiar faces around the club.

He said he was eager for a fresh challenge at Warrnambool and District level after playing at the Tigers for the past four seasons.

“It’ll probably be a bit daunting at the start … but I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

“(Coaching) is new for me. I played with Heath a couple of years ago at Woorndoo. We know how each other plays.”

The 26-year-old plays predominantly as a tall defender, but can also switch forward to become a marking option, giving the Kangaroos versatility at both ends of the ground. Moloney expects the pair will build a strong combination on the coaching panel, aided by the fact they both work in Terang and will spend a lot of travel time together.

“No doubt we’ll be doing a lot of footy talk trough the preseason,” Moloney said.

“We’ll be bouncing a lot of ideas off each other. He’s a really good player, a backman. He controls the ball well and can go forward as well. He’s a good presence to have in the team.”