Jon Varcoe will return to his old club, Fire Brigade, for the 2024-25 Goulburn Murray Cricket season as coach.
One of Kyabram’s most decorated cricketers will return to the scene of many of his triumphs in the hope of addressing Fire Brigade’s three-year absence from the Goulburn Murray Cricket A-grade finals.
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Jon Varcoe, who was at the helm of Echuca Cricket Club when it won three successive titles, has been appointed coach of Kyabram Fire Brigade for the 2024-25 season.
Kyabram Fire Brigade Cricket Club president Justin Hooper said it had been a while in the making, but the announcement was a significant coup for his club.
“Jon had the year off last season, but is renowned for having an impact on the clubs he has been involved with,” Hooper said.
“He enjoys a challenge and us missing the finals for the last few seasons, albeit not by much, offers him just that.
“I know he is working hard at the moment to turn around Mitiamo’s senior football team. That club was on its knees when he stuck his hand up to try and turn things around,” Hooper said.
Varcoe has coached football teams in the Kyabram District and Picola leagues and is stepping into the Fire Brigade role after the club operated without a coach last season.
"We operated under a captain last year, but the two or three years before that we had Peter Learmonth,“ Hooper said.
“He finished up due to work commitments.”
English all-rounder Jarod Francis will open the bowling for Fire Brigade next GMC season.
Fire Brigade last won the Goulburn Murray’s A-grade title in 2020-21.
Varcoe, a small business owner who lives in Echuca, has a long history as a player with the club. He and all three of his brothers played with Fire Brigade between the mid-1980s and into the 21st century.
He is the eldest of four brothers, the youngest Haig being a star of Fire Brigade premiership victories.
Varcoe is a former Kyabram District Cricket Association Cricketer of the Year, a Melbourne Country Week captain and a premiership player with the Fire Brigade club.
He is also a life member at both Kyabram Fire Brigade and Echuca cricket clubs, considered the man responsible for turning the fortunes of both clubs around at different stages in their histories.
Hooper said his club’s goal was to continue to build on its recent record of blooding young players.
Last season 14-year-old Wil Harrison and 16-year-old Lachlan Carver both debuted at the top level.
South African wicket keeper-batsman Jordan Van den Berg will also join the Fire Brigade club next season.
Another teenager Miller Griffiths has also become a regular in the top order.
The club didn’t have an overseas player last year, but will go into the 2024-25 season with two overseas cricketers
Jarod Francis is an opening bowler and middle order batsmen who is playing in England in the moment.
Nineteen-year-old South African born Jordan Van den Berg will accompany Francis to Kyabram for the 2024-25 season. Van den Berg is a top order batter and wicket-keeper.
“We are hoping to have both of them here for AFL grand final weekend,” Hooper said.
Hooper said he expected Varcoe to introduce a new level of professionalism to the club.
"The idea of bringing Jon on board is to lift the standards. He has been instrumental in taking Echuca’s men’s and women’s teams to several successive titles,“ he said.
“We were really excited that he agreed to take on the role.”
