In a move that will rock the Northern NSW NPL a week out from the delayed season kick-off, Broadmeadow Magic have secured the head coach of one of their fiercest rivals for next year.
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The Newcastle Herald has been told Magic have gained the services of all-conquering Edgeworth coach Damian Zane for 2021 to replace Anthony Richards, who informed Broadmeadow recently he was unable to commit to next season because of personal reasons.
Richards has stepped up from an assistant's role at the club to take over from Ruben Zadkovich for this season, which is set to start on July 12 after an enforced delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Magic have quickly found a high-class replacement for 2021 in the four-time NNSW coach of the year.
In his first senior coaching assignment, Zane took Edgeworth, a club he played for, to four consecutive NNSW top-division premierships, starting with his rookie year in 2015.
He has also guided the club to the grand final in every season of his tenure, winning in 2015, 2016 and 2019.
The Eagles also broke through to the FFA Cup round of 16 twice, in 2017 and 2019, and the NPL national grand final in 2016.
The feats, including home FFA Cup matches against A-League clubs Melbourne City, Western Sydney Wanderers and the Newcastle Jets, helped lift Edgeworth into the top echelon of NPL clubs across the country.
Along the way, Edgeworth built an intense rivalry with Broadmeadow on and off the field.
The Eagles defeated Magic in the 2016 grand final but lost to the Zadkovich-coached Broadmeadow in the 2018 decider.
The clubs also exchanged complaints against each other to Northern NSW Football over off-field incidents.
Given the history, the move of Zane from Edgeworth to Broadmeadow will shock many in the NNSW NPL ranks.
Next Sunday, Broadmeadow start the shortened, 13-round regular season away to Valentine, while Edgeworth host defending premiers Maitland in a rematch of last year's grand finalists.
