Former Cobden leader Johno Benallack has signed as playing coach while Jake McKinnon returns to the club as joint captain.

Benallack, 24, said he was excited to lead the Raiders - elevated after back-to-back premierships in division two - in a top-quality competition.

"I have been thinking for the past 18 months about having a crack in Warrnambool," he said.

"It's obviously a better standard of cricket. I played junior cricket (via the Western Waves) with (joint skipper) Joey McKinnon so I was speaking to him a bit and he talked me into it basically.

"It's a big opportunity and they're an up-and-coming club too so that excited me a bit. It is a bit of an unknown what we're going to be like."

Benallack, a carpenter by trade, will carry leadership experience from his time in the South West Cricket competition across to the Purnim-based club.

"I have done it for the past six or so years at Cobden and I really enjoy the challenge of trying to get the best out of blokes," he said.

"I was thinking I have got the most out of blokes at Cobden I could get so to get a new group and have a crack at the top level (around here) really pushed me to push myself."

Benallack, a top-order batsman who scored three half centuries for Cobden last summer, said it would be special to be part of Northern Raiders' first division one campaign.

"It is a bit of an unknown how we're going to go in the top grade but going in we've got the form so I think we'll really give it a shake," he said.

"It would be really good to push ourselves. The boys really want to push themselves and have a go at the top level."

McKinnon, 27, will share captaincy duties with younger brother Joe.

"Hopefully I can achieve something special with Joe before I finish cricket," he said.

"I will probably bat in the top order and do what is needed, bowl when needed."

McKinnon, who works as a plumber, returns to the field after a year off, having played for Northern Raiders in their inaugural WDCA season in 2020-21.

"I have a young family and we just built a house so I was trying to get the backyard done, so I didn't play at all last year," the father-of-two said.

"I reckon I played division one nearly 10 years ago when I was at Woodford before I moved to Melbourne and I always wanted to have one more crack at division one before I finished up.

"When they got into division one it made the decision a lot easier."

McKinnon, who played Victorian Premier Cricket with Essendon before a stint with Melbourne-based club Glenroy, said he wanted to repay his junior club.

"It means a lot (being in division one) and there's been a lot of people who have done a lot more work than I have, especially off field," he said.

"I played juniors at Purnim (a precursor to the Raiders) and they did a lot for me so to help them out now is pretty rewarding."

Russells Creek is the reigning WDCA division one premier.

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