After months of speculation, Stratford Football Netball Club finally has its man, with the appointment of Lindenow South star Nathan Pollard as senior coach this week.
There has been talk around local football circles that Pollard would return to the Swans in 2025, and it finally came to fruition, even after speculation that Maffra star Daniel Bedggood may take the reins in 2025.
Pollard previously played for Stratford in 2014, 2018 and 2019, playing 34 senior games including the 2018 premiership.
This season Pollard returned to Lindenow South after a stint in 2023 with Maffra in the Gippsland League.
It was another good season for the long-kicking ball magnet, finishing runner-up in the Omeo and District Football League (ODFNL) best and fairest and coaching the Swampies to a junior premiership.
Pollard coached Lindenow South seniors in 2021 and 2022, his stint including the 2022 premiership, one of five senior premierships he has played in at the Swamp.
With three ODFNL best and fairests and still at the peak of his powers, Pollard looks the ideal man to lead the Swans to their next premiership.
No doubt he will be making contact with his good friend, Haydn Erfurth, hoping to get him back on field in 2025 after a sabbatical in 2024.
