Casey VFL coach promoted within Dees ranks

Melbourne has promoted Taylor Whitford from VFL coach to its head of development as it continues its coaching shakeup under incoming lead Steven King.

Whitford led Casey to the VFL semi-finals in 2025, his third year at the helm, after being a senior assistant coach in the side's 2022 premiership.

He hails from North Launceston, where he coached the Bombers to premierships in 2018 and 2019 in the now-defunct Tasmania State League after captaining their successful 2015 and 2017 campaigns.

The Demons finished seventh, 17^th and fifth in their three years coached by Whitford, the middle year affected by significant injuries to experienced players.

Whitford was also on the coaching panel in the annual 2025 state game between the VFL and the SANFL.

Casey footy operations manager Gary O'Sullivan praised the impact Whitford has had on the Casey program.

"It's a terrific appointment,” O'Sullivan told Zero Hanger.

"We've seen the growth of him as a coach. We all rate Taylor really highly. He has a great grasp on the game, can be firm and is a teacher by trade.

"To appoint a guy so young shows that they see what we see in him as a leader, and this is only the beginning for him.

"Who knows what the future holds for him.

"He'll continue to climb further up the pole at an AFL club, I have no doubt."

Whitford will inevitably maintain a strong connection to Casey given his role in development, and has been an important factor in bringing the VFL-listed and AFL-listed players together during his time involved, particularly in 2025.

Several people around the club highlighted the role of that AFL-VFL chemistry in Casey's late-season form, which culminated in the VFL semi-final appearance.

"He was the glue to that synergy," O'Sullivan said.

"It was a huge priority of his, and the boys embraced it.

"When the finals came, the AFL and VFL boys weren't segregated, and Taylor brought about that synergy.

"He drove it very hard and created an environment where the boys embraced it."

Following the 2022 flag, several players at the time praised the effort of Whitford.

Under senior coach Mark Corrigan, there was widespread praise for Whitford at the time for going above and beyond in his capacity as senior assistant coach to best prepare the players, and create great depth in the VFL list and help the AFL-listed players take the next step.

"They were a dynamic duo – one complemented the other," O'Sullivan said of Whitford and Corrigan.

"Taylor was an up-and-coming coach full of energy and ideas, and knew his position and complemented (Mark) Corrigan so well.

"He's so fit and agile, and there's been a lot of value in that – not only can he describe and coach on the drawing board, but he can mix it with the boys."

Melbourne is now on the hunt for a VFL coach, as well as a development and line coach.

Whitford's promotion follows fellow highly regarded Tasmanian Zane Littlejohn landing a role in a strategy position alongside four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson.