The Club has welcomed Clint Proctor (line coach) and Chad Owens (Head of Development) to the fold, while retaining Perry Meka in a new role (Operations and Relationship Manager).

These new additions – along with the existing staff – is a boost for the VFL Blues, with players and coaches alike feeling optimistic for the upcoming season.

Check out the coaches’ profiles below for more information.

VFL Senior Coach: Josh Fraser

Fraser started his football career in 1999 and went onto play 218 games for both Collingwood and Gold Coast before arriving at Northern in 2016 as the Senior Coach. Prior to this, he coached Gold Coast’s reserve side in the North East Australian Football League. Fraser is now preparing for his fifth season as the Club’s coach after leading Northern to seven wins in 2019. He is also a development coach for the Carlton Football Club, giving him a chance to nurture emerging talent for Northern’s Carlton-listed players.

Line coach: Jason Davenport

A past VFL premiership player and past AFL player, Davenport continues his role as the forwards coach for the Northern Blues. Prior to this, Davenport was senior coach of the North Shore Seagulls in the Geelong Football League. Davenport, who is readying himself for his third season at the Club, will be able to draw on experience from his playing career and his role as a development coach at Carlton.

Line coach: Daniel O’Keefe

Another effective addition to the Northern coaching ranks, O’Keefe arrived at Carlton late last year to take on the role as a development coach. Part of those duties also involves him taking on the role as a line coach for the VFL Blues. O’Keefe has a distinguished eight-year coaching career working with elite junior talent, having led the Geelong Falcons to a premiership in 2017 while also spending a season as an assistant coach for Geelong’s VFL team. Playing-wise, O’Keefe was previously a No.15 selection in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft (Sydney Swans).

Line coach: Clint Proctor

Proctor is no stranger to the VFL, having played 150 games across Williamstown Seagulls (also winning a premiership) and Frankston Dolphins while also featuring for the Burnie Dockers in Tasmania. After a successful playing career, Proctor became senior coach for the Burnie Dockers in Tasmania before returning to familiar surrounds and becoming Williamstown’s senior assistant coach for the past two seasons. With state league experience in abundance, Proctor’s addition to Northern is a significant one for the upcoming year.

Head of Development: Chad Owens

Originally from Wodonga, Owens played for the Raiders before moving to the QAFL and playing games for both Broadbeach and Palm Beach Currumbin. Owens has a successful coaching career to date, coaching back-to-back premierships with Palm Beach Currumbin before returning to Victoria, where he was an assistant coach for Coburg Football Club. In between coaching duties, Owens was a teacher, specialising in Health, P.E, Maths and Science. Owens will now be the new Head of Development at the Northern Blues.

Development coach / Operations and Relationship Manager: Perry Meka

Meka has over 20 years of coaching experience under his belt, as well as over 500 games and 2000 goals in his country football playing career. Meka was the Football Operations Manager for Labrador in the QAFL, as well as a senior coach at St Albans Football Club. A two-time premiership coach and three-time premiership player at country level, Meka will be Operations and Relationships Manager as well as retaining his role in the development space: a position he has held since 2017.