Flag feature: Power House – from wilderness to wonderland

It’s been a long, hard road for Power House since they went 16-2 to win the 2017 Division 3 minor premiership. They would ultimately lose that Grand Final to UHS-VU, and that would be the first of a long 7-year series of struggles.

In 2018, they went 5-13 in Division 2, then 2-14 in 2019, and went 1-10 to be last on the ladder when the 2021 season was abandoned.

A 2-16 season followed in 2022, which saw Power House relegated to Division 3 in 2023, having won just 10 of their last 63 matches.

They started to show signs of improvement in 2023, but lost their last 5 games to miss the finals, finishing at 6-12 in sixth position.

In 2024, the growth continued, and they finished the home and away season in third position at 13-3, qualifying for their first finals in 7 years. But they would lose both in the Final 5 system, crashing out in straight sets.

Season 2025 felt like a critical crossroads for this group. Could Power House continue its steady rise, or would the promise of recent seasons dissipate?

Enter Nick Cox.

Nick had led Brighton Grammar School to two APS premierships in three years, and was planning to take a break from coaching after a long and successful career that had begun as a player in Assumption College’s legendary team of the mid-80s that won 59 of 60 games across a three-year period.

A short stint at Carlton was followed by an A-grade flag with Ormond in 1989. He played for Yarrawonga, then Seymour for five or six years and spent some time coaching East Perth Colts before his stint with Brighton Grammar.

“I wasn’t going to coach this year,” Nick reflects. “I’d been at Brighton Grammar for a while. But Darren Cooper reached out and said Power House had a good list with strong player retention.

“He was pretty straight with me, and said they needed to take the next step on the coaching side of things. They’d lost two finals in 2024 and might be a little scarred from that. A lot of their guys had been there through some pretty dark times, but still really wanted to succeed and needed someone to steer them through it.

“Essentially, they were looking for a modern approach and to add a harder edge.

“Given I live in South Yarra, the club was only five minutes away. I thought about it for a couple of days, and said I’ll do it.”

Nick’s first night of pre-season training was an eye-opener – in a good way.

“We had 35 blokes turn up on that first night in November. Many of them had been around the club for a long time, and there was also a powerful Old Boys set-up of ex-players. There were 200-odd people in the rooms after games when we celebrated flag reunions. It was impressive for a club with no school feeder. I knew I’d made the right decision pretty quickly.”

Given their steady rise across 2023 and 2024, Nick also knew he was inheriting a team with real potential.

“I thought we’d be in the Top 3 or 4 mix, and after a group of senior players filtered in across the summer, I knew we could be in the premiership mix after our first practice game. We played a Western League Div 2 team with half-a-dozen boys I’d barely met yet. They’d played finals the previous season and we beat them pretty easily.

“After the first quarter of that game, I turned to the guys alongside me and said, ‘We’re gonna be alright.’ I’d seen enough footy over the years to know we were going to be competitive, particularly given we still had another seven or eight players to slot into the team.”

Nick understood the assignment. The club needed him to take their talent and shape it into a cohesive contender.

“I coached East Perth Colts for years and did a lot of development work in that role, with a background of high-intensity training at elite level. That process can transfer across to senior players at any level.

“We had a great bunch with good talent, and they were good guys – almost too nice – but they didn’t really have a hard edge about them. So my job was to train them pretty hard, and I’m sure they didn’t know what to think of me at times – particularly early on, when I introduced a full-on tackling drill like they’d never seen before on the first night of pre-season!

“They got a bit of a shock when I rocked up, but that’s what they needed. Someone to come in and straighten them out.

“We didn’t really have a theme for the year as such. I just said that if you’re going to make the effort, then you’ve got to commit to coming to training and playing. If you want to be all in on it, then make the effort. Let’s share that responsibility. Get to training.

“I brought the same game plan that had brought success at Brighton – a defence-first set-up and really contested style. We needed that modern approach, worked hard on it all year, and the boys were smart enough to pick it up. In one game, we had 84 tackles, which is a lot on a big ground with the ball potentially out in open space a fair bit.”

“We enjoyed every training and every game, as well as a few functions along the way. We had younger guys who want to get to better, including a lot of Irish boys who are talented in their own sports, and are pretty smart at picking things up. The group wanted to know why I was teaching them certain things. They wanted to get better, and when I explained something, they tried hard to do it. We were always instructive as a coaching group.”

Nick’s initial impression of the group proved to be accurate, as they opened the season with seven straight wins by a thumping average margin of 88 points, including victories in the first 3 rounds by 140, 212 and 150!

Their unbeaten run came to an end in Round 7 against North Brunswick.

“We had 14 players out that day, and only lost by 7 points,” Nick recalls.

“So, they weren’t lying when they told me we had a good list! I walked away from that game feeling like once we got all our senior players back from injury, no one was going to beat us.”

Power House entered their Round 15 blockbuster against the third-placed Wattle Park a game clear of the Animals and the Bulls, after falling to Richmond Central a fortnight earlier.

But what promised to be a tight top-of-the-table clash turned into one-way traffic as Wattle Park booted the first 7 goals of the game on their way to an impressive 46-point win.

Power House’s season had reached its first critical point, as Nick’s response to the heavy defeat could set the tone for the rest of the campaign.

“We got hammered by Wattle Park, who were a good side and well coached. They set up well against us. Our side looked okay on paper, but we had four or five players in who hadn’t played for four or five weeks.

“The players told me later that, after the game, they were waiting for a spray. But I walked in and said, ‘I’m not going to raise my voice or pick on anyone. This is a whole club thing – we need to change what we’re doing.

“You’ve got to get to training for the next four weeks, because we’re not going to win a Grand Final playing like we did today. I need your support. I want you on my side, but you’ve got to do the stuff I want you to do.”

Nick waited to see his team’s response, and it was emphatic.

“Our next four weeks were incredible. No-one got near us. Poor Eley Park – it was a bad time to play us after that. They copped our wrath and the boys were pretty ruthless that day.”

Power House won that Round 17 game 59.30 (384) to no score. Ruthless, indeed.

A 22-goal win over La Trobe University followed to round out the home and away season, with Power House claiming the minor premiership with a 15-3 record, 67% ahead of Wattle Park, who also finished 15-3.

It set the scene for a much-anticipated Second Semi Final, given both teams boasted a win over the other, and Power House hadn’t won a final since 2017.

After being jumped in Round 15, Nick’s men were ready from the outset and turned the tables to post the first 13 scores of the match. However, inaccuracy prevented them from putting the game to bed early – it was 3.10 (28) to 0.0 (0) when the Animals booted their first goal 11 minutes into the second quarter.

But that strong start proved decisive and Power House were able to maintain that buffer all afternoon to ultimately run out 28-point winners and progress straight to Grand Final Day.

“It felt like a much more emphatic win than it looked on the scoreboard,” said Nick.

“After the game, their coach – who does a great job – told me that we looked like a very different team to the one they beat in Round 15. And that was great, because we changed a few things. We had to. So, for me, that was nice to hear that other people had also noticed our changes.”

North Brunswick subsequently upset Wattle Park in a 3-point Preliminary Final thriller to get another shot at Power House for the premiership.

Grand Final Day was always going to be a huge one for the club, given both the Power House Reserves and Seniors were fighting for silverware. The Reserves entered the decider undefeated for the season at 19-0, having beaten Richmond Central by 17 points in the Second Semi.

“Unfortunately, our Ressies got it wrong on Grand Final Day,” said Nick.

“We all train together during the year, so I’d been in there before their game. Seven or eight of the guys were in their early 30’s and had been around the club a long time, so this was their chance to finally win one. But the group went over the top. They were way too wound up.”

Nick brought his team together after seeing their Reserves team-mates held goalless, leaving them trailing the Snakes by 38 points at half-time. It would prove to be another critical learning moment for the group.

“I simply said, ‘That’s how you don’t do it. Don’t let your opposition lead you to the footy.’ It was a great reminder for us.

“I surprised them a bit in the pre-game, when I went through where each player had come from. We had players from Ballarat, Mildura, Ireland, Tasmania, Queensland. Two had been at Mentone before the club folded.

“We had players who had come from all over the place – all around the world – about to do something great together that we’ll all remember for the rest of our lives.

“Our training in the lead-up had been outstanding – some really high-level stuff. I firmly believed that no-one was going to beat us. I told them they were ready. They didn’t need me. I didn’t hit them with tactics or structures. I just relaxed them and tried to make them laugh. We were all having a great time.”  

It proved to be the perfect tonic to melt the Grand Final Day stress away.

“Within the first few minutes, I knew we were going to win it. For me, it was the easiest day of the year. I just sat there on the bench and watched them control the game from start to finish.

“It was our Best 22 – without a single injury – so we’d had to leave four blokes out for the Grand Final, which was pretty tough.

“Matt Auchettl’s a 35-year-old from up near Ballarat and had played in the Ballarat League. He’s a very clever small forward who had kicked 11 goals in our first two games. But he had broken his shoulder against Box Hill in Round 4. It was a nasty one too – a double AC joint break.

“With about five weeks to go, he told me he was planning to come back and play finals, and I started laughing. He had no hope. But I told him that if he could make it back for the last game of the year and not be afraid to get tackled, I’d play him in the finals.

“He worked so hard on his rehab and made it back for the last home and away game against La Trobe, but he hardly got a kick in the first half. So, at half time I told him, ‘That’s not enough. I need to see more.’ He showed me more in the second half, kept his spot, and kicked the first goal of the Grand Final. I’ll never forget the smile and sheer happiness on his face in his celebration.

“He’d worked so hard. He and his wife had just had a kid, so she wasn’t that keen on him playing, and then he had to spend nine months in a sling! So that moment was unreal.

“We kicked 8 unanswered goals in the third quarter, and Jesse Muscatello, who is a psychologist, found it hard to find time to play this year, so decided that he was finished. But then he called me mid-season and asked if we could fit him in. He ended up playing half-a-dozen games and kicked a left-foot snap goal from 55 metres out. That was it. That was the sealer and the crowd went crazy.”

Power House kept North Brunswick goalless until the final quarter, on their way to a glorious 84-point win which delivered the club’s sixth senior flag and its first since their Division 4 title in 2006.

“I was really happy for our co-captains Ben Circosta and Luke Stubbs. Ben has played 150 games, Stubby has played 200, but they’d only played finals twice in 12 years. To see those two boys enjoy winning the flag together was unreal. As a new coach, they’d made it so easy for me.”

“The whole day was great. There were a lot of Power House people there – I couldn’t believe how many! We went back to the clubrooms and stood out on the balcony. I ended up having a beer with five players who had played at Power House before I was even born. One of the guys was in his Power House jumper from 1968!

“I stood there with them for about 15 minutes and was taken aback with how thankful they were. They said, ‘We just loved to be able to come back to our club and win a flag.’

“It’s true. You just don’t know how many people you make happy when you win a premiership.

Nick and his group are now looking to build on the foundations they’ve put in place throughout 2025.

“Most premiership sides lose players, so I was expecting to lose a few. I intentionally left them alone for a while to let it sink in. I then spoke to our 22 from the Grand Final, and they’re all keen to play again, which is unreal. A lot of these guys have been mates for a long time, so they would like to try and do it all again in 2026.

“We’re in talks with a couple of ‘friends of friends’ who trained with us during the season while playing country footy on the weekends. They’re good mates with some of our players. One is a centre half-back and the other is a centre half-forward. We’re hopeful we might get both to sign with us, plus a couple of young guys have come down for a look.

“We have a kid called Harry Officer, who kicked 18 goals versus Eley Park. I told him I would have kicked 20 that day! He only played another five games – all against the top sides – due to a hamstring injury, and kicked 20 goals in those five games. He’s an outstanding talent who could play B or C-Grade footy, but he has mates at Power House. He could kick 80 goals for us if he plays 15 or 16 games.

“We also have four or five from the Twos who played senior footy for us this year, due to our injuries. We had to drop four of them when we got fully fit in the finals. They could all play regular senior footy next season if they keep improving their fitness and strength.

“We haven’t chased anyone too hard. We probably have about 60-70 registered guys for next year. We had 12 fit blokes who missed out in our Seconds Grand Final. So, depth-wise we’re pretty good.”

Nick is buoyant about what his group can achieve.

“This year, I thought we could play Division 2 finals with our best team. We certainly played Div 2 standard footy in the Grand Final, which was the first time all season our Best 22 played together. So I expect us to play finals and give it a real nudge next year. That’s what we should be looking at doing.

“Straight after the Grand Final, I spoke to them about Division 2. It’s going to be harder and a better standard of footy, so we’re going to have to improve. That’s the lure – trying to win another one – and I shouldn’t have to motivate you for that. We need to maintain our high standards.

“They knew it was coming, and said, “Yeah, don’t bother enjoying it Coxy, just talk about next year!”

“But we’ve set a standard this year and they know what it is. Our footy IQ is better now than twelve months ago, and it will keep getting better. The chance to win another one and have that great feeling again is how we get ourselves up. It meant so much to them.

“Our first night of training was so much easier, as the players knew all the warm-up drills and the sort of footy we play. If we do get a couple of new key-position players, our plan may change a bit. But contest remains key. Our backs will play one-on-one, and then when we have it, they can go for their life. Our mids will at least halve contests.

“Our forwards will make their defender defend them. We had too many intercept marks taken against us early in the year, but not in the second half of the season as our forwards were always on the move. It’s simple, but it works.”

“We had a few games videoed this year. We’d never done vision before, so that really helped us learn. We’ll look to do more of that next season.

“We won’t change too much, as we were just starting to get the hang of it at the end of the year, and there’s lots more improvement to come in this group.

“It’s an amazing club, with a lot of people connected to it in some way, which is incredible for a team without a school background.

“The flag was a highlight, but the whole year was great.

“I’m so glad I said ‘yes’ to coaching again this year.”