Nirranda re-sign premiership coach Nick Couch for 2024 season

Couch, who took on the role from Brayden Harkness in 2023, led the Blues to back-to-back Warrnambool and District league senior football flags last month.

The first-year coach revealed he did take some time to weight up whether he would go again after feeling some burnout this year. He said he wanted full-confidence in his ability to withstand the rigours of another season.

"(I needed to) just get the priorities right to get the stamina to go again I suppose," he said. "I had a think about it, but the players were keen to have me back and the success was good.

"Everyone was keen to go again.

"In the end it was an easy enough decision."

A member of the Blues' 2022 senior premiership as a player, Couch stepped back from senior football this year to focus on coaching.

He said he would aim to implement the lessons he had learnt in his first campaign in charge, with personal development showing in his communication and approach to working with different personalities.

"I used to lead by example when I played... but trying to explain it when coaching, I found pretty hard," he said. "Twelve months under my belt, being a better communicator, I felt I got better towards the end of the year and it just goes down to experience.

"I know how to tackle different players now, everyone's got different ways of seeing things, just reading people's body languages.

"I think those experiences will put me in good stead for another 12 months."

Couch, who thanked the club for its support of him and his family throughout the year, felt his group's ability to play for each other made them well-poised for more success next year.

"While the iron is hot and you've got a good, core bunch of players at the footy club, you have to be confident the boys will, they drive the standards, they keep turning up for each other," he said. "Their inspiration is around them on the footy field and they don't want to let each other down."

He said the club would aim to be on the front foot to make its senior and reserves squad (which finished this season fifth) stronger in 2024, whether that was through player retention, recruitment or luring former players back to the club.

"Looking forward I think the club is pretty keen to get both sides back up on the winners list," he said.

The club, which also celebrated two netball flags this year, last month announced Maddie Hunger as its new A grade coach following the departure of two-time premiership mentor Lisa Arundell to the Hampden league.

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