BY NATHAN DOLE
THERE’S plenty of years of premiership-winning experience been added to South Bendigo’s footy and netball coaching panel for the 2025 Bendigo Bank Bendigo FNL season.
The Bloods’ new senior footy coaches, Troy Coates and Jack Fallon, and A-grade netball mentor Lauren Bowles were unveiled at Tuesday night’s function at Harry Trott Oval in Kennington.
The signings are great coup for Bloods’ president Dujon Fuzzard and the Bloods’ powerbrokers.
Just days after leading Kerang to another grand final in the Central Murray, Coates will now join the Bloods as a non-playing coach of the senior team.
Coates will team up with Jack Fallon who last month was a co playing coach as White Hills broke its premiership drought in the Heathcote DFNL.
A remarkable playing career for Coates includes 18 senior grand finals for 11 premierships.
He was a seven-time senior club champion across three clubs, and a Northern Territory Football League medallist.
Being in the Bendigo FNL is not new for Coates.
He played for Eaglehawk, and was playing coach as Strathfieldsaye won the Bendigo Advertiser premiership cup in 2019.
Coates also played for Bendigo Pioneers, Williamstown, Kerang, and Nightcliff.
An 11-year stint as senior coach across Kerang, Strathfieldsaye and Nightcliff netted seven premiership victories.
The Bloods are also rapt to gain Jack Fallon as a playing coach.
Merbein, Waratah, Eaglehawk, Essendon and White Hills are clubs he has represented with distinction.
Among the highs was being fairest and best in Eaglehawk’s premiership-winning season of 2018.
Fallon was club champion at White Hills in ’21 and in the Heathcote DFNL Team of the Year the past three seasons.
As co-coach of the Demons, Fallon played a key role in the run to last year’s preliminary final and then this season’s grand final victory.
Among the recruits for the Bloods will be Kaiden Antonowicz who rejoins the Bloods after co-coaching with Fallon at White Hills.
South Bendigo also welcomes back ruckmen Mac Cameron and Callum Crisp, and has recruited Hayden Geddes from Donald.
On the netball front, Lauren Bowles will take charge as playing coach of South Bendigo’s A-grade team.
After a nine-year stint at White Hills which included being a three-time A-grade premiership coach, Bowles will make a return to the Bendigo FNL.
In a 10-year career at Kangaroo Flat, Bowles played in three A-grade premierships and in 2008 earned the Betty Thompson Medal as league fairest and best.
An extensive and successful coaching resume includes being a North Central Academy co-coach, North Central 17-and-under state titles coach, Bendigo Strikers 23-and-under development specialist coach, and Bendigo ADP netball coach.
Family links to South Bendigo FNC are strong.
Lauren’s father, the late Gary Cowling was a three-time club fairest and best at the Bloods and in 1979 tied with Golden Square ruckman Eric Pascoe and Sandhurst rover Peter Tyack for the Michelsen Medal as Bendigo FNL fairest and best.
In 2020, Gary Cowling was posthumously awarded a Michelsen Medal.
Lauren Bowles’ husband, Gavin also starred in many matches for South Bendigo and was the club’s fairest and best award winner in 2009.
The gun netball player and coach is also a relative of the Wright and Connaughton families who have been outstanding contributors, on and off the field and courts for the red and white for many years.
In 2025, Lauren Bowles will lock horns with younger brother, Jayden Cowling when South Bendigo faces Kangaroo Flat.
That’s a contest they and the clubs will eagerly anticipate.
