Daryn Cresswell signs as coach of South Cairns Cutters

He replaces Chris Baksh at the helm who previously played for CDHBU and led Nightcliff to three flags in the NTFL during the club's most successful era.

Cresswell stepped down as coach of Wangaratta Rovers at the end of last season after guiding the club to the preliminary final.

He cited wanting to watch his teenage sons Jake and Josh play on a regular basis as one of the major reasons behind his decision.

"Following an exhaustive and thorough process, the South Cairns Australian Football Club have pulled off a recruiting coup in the form of Sydney Swans Team of the Century member, Daryn Creswell," the club released in a statement.

"The highly credentialled coach will call Cairns home for the next two years following his appointment as senior coach.

"The club was buoyed by the quality of candidates that applied and expressed interest in the role, to the extent the club felt it prudent to interview eight applicants from a field of forty.

"It was Cresswell's innate knowledge of the game from experiences gained from playing and coaching at the elite level that elevated him from the field.

"As part of the recruitment process Cresswell visited the city and toured the club.

"From that he was able to clearly articulate a plan to move the club forward that aligned with his coaching philosophy.

"From the first interview Cresswell highlighted the importance of building from within through player development and with a strong junior base the club's board is incredibly optimistic about the impact Cresswell can have on the whole club."

Cresswell first arrived in the Ovens and Murray in 2015 when appointed coach of Wodonga Raiders.

He took Raiders from the wooden spoon to four successive finals campaigns.

They made the preliminary final in 2018 but lost to Wangaratta.

Cresswell joined Wangaratta Rovers as coach the following season with the club coming off the first winless wooden spoon in its proud history.

He fell just short, by percentage, of becoming the first coach to guide a winless club into the top five the following season.

During his coaching tenure in the O&M, Cresswell earned a reputation as the man with the midas touch when it came to recruiting.

He was able to land dozens of high-profile recruits with former VFL experience.

Morris medallist Brodie Filo was just one of the big names Cresswell was able to land who spent time at both Birallee Park and WJ Findlay Oval.

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