On Good Friday in 2025, Cooper Trembath took seven last quarter intercept marks in a match-winning last quarter for local club Blackburn, helping them secure a 19-point victory over eventual premiers Balwyn.
Precisely one year later, he earned a Rising Star nomination with a three goal performance for North Melbourne in front of 45,000 people.
“If he can keep improving the way he is and we can keep him going, he can be one of the dominant forwards of the competition, no doubt,” North Melbourne forward line coach Xavier Clarke told Zero Hanger of Trembath.
It's the fifth time in seven games Trembath has kicked three goals, which has resulted in him entering calculations for the 2026 Rising Star award.
He also took six marks, laid four tackles and had a team-high 11 hitouts as his side was forced to use makeshift rucks due to Tristan Xerri's suspension.
The performance netted him five coaches votes, one of only two players to gain recognition from both coaches in a game with even contributions across the board.
He was entrusted at ruck contests at multiple occasions late in the game, and seized his moments down the stretch, performing on the biggest stage of his career so far.
“He's a very humble kid, a very polite young man. To the point where you will give him feedback about areas to improve on and he's always thanking you,” Clarke said.
“The one thing that separates him is that he's got a hunger and will to win and improve and that shone through with how he went away and got himself in a position to play at VFL level, let alone AFL level.
“He's diligent in watching vision, asking questions. He's a student of the game and late in the game, with Marc Pittonet in the ruck, we thought Cooper could give us an advantage with his jump, he could jump over the top of him and get the ball going our way.
“We had great confidence to put him in there and see what he could do for us.”
The comments about his warm character are echoed by Blackburn coach Anthony Fagan, who coached Trembath in nine senior games at local level across 2024 and 2025.
He earned nine league medal votes in four games - three as a defender and one bag of five up forward - last year, with that Good Friday masterclass the standout of the lot.
“We were out on our feet, and they were coming at us and he was amazing in the last quarter,” Fagan said.
“It was a warm day, and Cooper was just taking marks left, right and centre, sometimes two-on-one, there was a massive pack mark in the goal square, it was unbelievable.”
“He's just a great athlete and he's got a very sticky pair of hands but he's also a great competitor who lays big tackles, big spoils, reads the game well and has a great footy IQ and this year it's been great to see him finish his work in front of goal.”
Despite all of his footy at talent pathway to that point being as a defender, the Roos always viewed him as a forward.
A three-goal VFL debut less than four weeks out from the Mid-Season Draft convinced North Melbourne to take the punt.
“All the attributes he has screams to him being a forward. The way he leads up to the footy and jump, he can be a multiple threat because he can lead too and is strong in the air,” Clarke said.
“He's a great set shot on goal too, and he can kick it from a mile away.
“He reminds me of big 'Sav' Rocca, you put him 50 metres out and he'll have a shot and it will go through goalpost height.”
Contract talks have opened between Trembath and North Melbourne, with the Mid-Season pickup out-of-contract at the end of this year.
After proving himself as a reliable contested-marking player and goal-kicker, he appears to be an important cog in the Kangaroos' future.
Trembath kicked three goals in each of his three games at the end of last year and has backed it up to start 2026, averaging five marks and two goals per game.
Trembath has lost significant weight since arriving at Arden St to be appropriately conditioned for the rigours of the top level.
Swimming was a key part of his routine after being overlooked in 2024, and that work went into turbocharge after stern feedback from VFL coach Tom Lynch ahead of last year.
He juggled that with work as a plumber, waking up as early as 4am to materialise his dream.
“To be fair early days when he first turned up, I couldn't really see the potential and I hadn't seen him play junior footy so maybe it was unfair judgment,” Clarke said.
“From an athlete's point of view, there were things he needed to work on: the physical side was one of them, ability to run and train and that was the part I thought he wasn't quite up for it, and that was the feedback he got to work on and to his credit he did.
"When he played a VFL game for us, we saw he could jump and had power, speed and aerial presence and we realised ‘yeah there is something there.'
“Credit to Tom Lynch who saw it early days. The things he's done since he has gotten the physical side of his game right has been really pleasing to see for his sake and ours.”
That he dominated Under-18s footy for Eastern Ranges even prior to his body transformation highlights his natural talent and footy IQ.
Eighteen players got drafted from Trembath's debut Talent League game against Sandringham at a sun-drenched RSEA Park in early 2023.
He caught the eye immediately, regularly launching at the ball with confidence and intercepting inside 50 kicks from the likes of Levi Ashcroft and Murphy Reid - a trait he would maintain throughout his time in defence.
He also played lockdown roles on bigger and taller opponents such as Jed Walter, underlining his ability to play above his weight grade as both an 18 and 19-year-old in the Talent League, but still no club was willing to take a punt, given concerns around his field kicking and conditioning.
In an era where some of the club's drafting decisions have been heavily scrutinised, their brave call to take a punt on the boy from Blackburn is repaying them in droves.
He has benefitted from skipper Nick Larkey's imposing presence after the experienced forward missed his games in 2025 with injury.
“His pre-season's been unbelievable, he's got some incredible attributes with the way he competes, I love training with him and watching him last year was special. He'll be a diamond in the rough for the footy club,” Larkey told Zero Hanger ahead of the season.
Trembath was no guarantee to feature in Round 1 this year either, playing a VFL practice match in the week of the AAMI Community Series after a slightly interrupted second half of pre-season.
But Clarke lauded his competitive attitude and approach to the challenge which resulted in him ultimately getting the nod in Round 1, which he has taken with both hands.
Throughout all of that, he has remained connected to Blackburn.
“He popped down to training in pre-season and shows great interest in the entire playing group and current playing group which is great to see from a guy who has priorities at AFL level," Blackburn's Fagan said.
“His investment in his teammates and the footy club has been first class and I'm sure he'll continue to work his arse off at AFL level and we're certainly excited to see what he can do at AFL level, as is everyone else in the footy world.”
