Football
4 April, 2026
WFNL 2026 preview: Familiar face back at Eagles' helm
The face of the 2026 coach for Warrack is a familiar one, the 'new' appointee having held the position previously.
Kyle George is back at the helm this season, having led the side to a preliminary final in 2010.
It might have been more than a decade ago when he last coached the Eagles' seniors but George's passion is just as strong.
He's been coaching juniors for the past four years with the Eagles under 14s and 17s his focus, but he's now looking forward to assisting the club to get a few more wins this season in seniors.
George has an impressive background on field, with stints in Ballarat, Beulah, Darwin, East Point and Hopetoun.
He's been a Victoria Country representative and played in numerous interleauge teams.
But his focus now is on coaching and leading the Eagles up the ladder.
Last season wasn't the best for the Eagles; they finished eighth with 13 losses and three wins under the guidance of coach Matt Walder.
George credited Walder for his work with the Eagles and offered insight into how he saw the side contintuining to develop, under not only his guard but his friend Tim Inkster's.
He said Walder had left a foundation that was sturdy going into 2026.
"We haven't been recently successful with ladder positioning but the club itself is extremely healthy and successful," George said.
"It's just maybe onfield, and we've got a little nice window at the moment with a lot of 17-to-23-year-olds who need to be developed more so, and we thought, Tim and I, that we could help in that area."
Impressively, the 17-to-23-year-olds are all local so the Eagles' future looks bright when it comes to grown-at-home talent.
"There are a few farmers, some tradies, a couple of school teachers," George said.
"And we're getting high numbers at training in both reserves and seniors.
"There was probably a time there where we were a bit short when it came to footballers but it's a cycle and we missed out there and it showed on our ladder position."
George said the club was definitely not buying a premiership and the side needed to crawl up the ladder and gain respect from their opposition.
"We have been unbelievably lucky to have attracted footy players who are just good people, for one, and they are talented too," George said.
"We just need to build around them and we don't want to waste the opportunity while they are here because they can offer a lot to the youngsters."
The club has specifically targeted their recruits for seniors, and assisting the Eagles in their plight for a more successful season will be Billy Stokes, Nick Lehman and ex-VFL player John Jorgensen.
Also announced to be pulling on the Eagles' jumper this year are Conor McFadyen, Jackson Taurau, Mitchell Bright, Ryan McKenzie, Samuel Callins and Shannon Taylor.
McFadyen and Taurau are just a couple of players expected to bring more class and skill to the Eagles side, with McFayden having been drafted by the Brisbane Lions in the 2018 NAB AFL Draft from their academy, subsequently spending four season on their list playing VFL.
Since then, he has been playing SANFL.
Taurau joins the Eagles from the Ararat Eagles in the Miniera and District Football League but has also played previously in the Coates Talent League.
George said he didn't want to jinx their season but it was every side's goal to make finals – and it's where the Eagles need to be come the end of the home-and-away fixture.
"I won't say we are going to make it, or not make it, but we need to be competitive and if we are that will be a win for us," he said.