Barooga has named the man who will lead the club next season, with Zac Brain taking over from James Hazelman as senior head coach.
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The Finley product was one of the Hawks' best players in a disappointing past season, with Brain finishing runner-up in the club’s best-and-fairest.
The Hawks finished 10th this year with a 6-12 record, with player turnover and a long list of injuries having the side fall well short of last year's standard where it came within a win of the flag.
Barooga president Marcus Fry hoped the rookie coach, who will continue playing, would be able to bring the best out of an inexperienced roster.
“From a club point of view, we know Zac has played at a pretty high level and has a good knowledge of the game,” Fry said.
“We have a lot of players under the age of 22 and we believe he’s the man that can take them and teach them what’s required to get to the next level.
“We looked far and wide and sometimes you find something under your nose that you weren’t even looking for.
“We also send a big thanks to our outgoing coach James Hazelman for his tireless work over the last three years as seniors coach taking us to a grand final in 2018.”
Hazelman is set to take a year off to recover from a knee operation, with the 300-gamer hopeful of making to a return to the field.
● Fellow Murray Football League outfit Congupna has also had a coaching change, with Peter Sheehan taking over from co-coaches David Gee and Josh Chapman.
The Road had its best season in decades this year, reaching the preliminary final before running into eventual premier Nathalia.
Sheehan will look to build on that momentum in his return to Memorial Park from a six-year absence, with about 25 years of coaching experience under his belt, including most recently stints at the Murray Bushrangers and Shepparton United.
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