Over 50s coaches announced

The final pieces of the 2026 coaching puzzle are locked in - meet your new Over 50s coaches.

The Eastern Warriors full coaching panel for 2026 has been finalised and the club is delighted to announce the appointment of Theo Zaharopoulos and Kaine Johnston as Over 50s co-coaches.

Kaine (left) and Theo join Willo, Sue, Magoo, Pogs and Peter to complete an excellent line-up of experienced and committed coaches for season 2026.

“Kano and Theo!! The new exuberance and dare of youth meets the reality and patience of experience gained through age!” said President Gerard De Filippis.

Theo has played over 200 games and won a premiership and critically has 10 years senior coaching experience plus five years with juniors.

“This is my second season at the warriors and looking forward to working with Kaine in 2026,” said Theo. “The aspiration is to improve the group and improve the win loss ratio from 2025. Ultimately, I would love to coach a Grand Final winning team.”

Kaine is the prince of the Johnston Warriors dynasty. His mother Ren is a past best & fairest winner in the Women’s Non-Contact, and is the recipient of the 2025 Vic Metro Women’s Non-Contact Contributor of the Year. His dad Kenny was the 2024 coach of the Over 50s, a stalwart of the club, an X factor player and once described as a stray spermatazoa.

With his family so involved, Kaine has been a regular face at the club for years, played a big role in 2025 as assistant coach to Magoo and now steps up this season to take his coaching to a new level.

Dues are due!

We’re at that time of year where we need all players to commit and pay their fees as the league now requires payment in advance before the season starts. Follow the steps on this page – THANK YOU to all those who have already registered and paid.