With VFL forward Nick Rodda already committed to playing full-time next season, and a slew of others on board, Darley is pushing on with its mission to rejuvenate the club.

Premiers just four years ago, the Devils limped through a winless 2021 season to miss finals for the first time in a decade.

Club president Mark Shelly told The Courier it became evident fairly quickly that something needed to change.

"Back some months ago, we realised we weren't going to be playing finals and would end up towards the bottom of the ladder," he said.

"We clearly identified that our professionalism and our preparation was certainly not where it needed to be.

"We needed to make some changes regarding personnel, both players, coaches, the lot - which we certainly addressed.

"There were a lot of changes we needed to make to get the club get back to where it should be. We started putting the wheels in motion for these changes well and truly before the end of the season."

First on the agenda was finding a new coach.

Geelong-based Dan Roy stepped away from the role after a two-year stint in which there wasn't one full football season.

"We went through a fairly extensive process trying to find the right coach," Shelly said.

"What we saw was the level of professionalism at the club was taken to a new level with Heath Scotland's appointment (as coach). In so far as preparation and pre-season, and we got instant results. With Heath won both seniors and reserves flags in 2017.

"Now, that novelty probably started to wear off at the end of 2019 when Heath was appointed to the AFL system."

Enter Dan Jordan - a Henderson Medallist, five-time Tony Lockett Medal winner, former East Point coach, and Ballarat Football Netball League Hall of Fame inductee.

At the end of August, Essendon informed Jordan he would not be keeping his place on the club's AFL coaching panel.

"I mean this with no disrespect to the others we spoke to, but Dan Jordan was a clear standout," Shelly said.

"His football knowledge was not to be questioned, but something important to us was the leadership that he could bring to us both on the field and off it.

"One thing that stuck with me as president in the interview is when Dan actually asked me if he'd have the club's support to discipline players for off-field discretions. I think it's really important that's he just not going to turn a blind eye.

"There's certainly a good vibe at the club, and Dan is well and truly gearing himself up for a big pre-season."

With Jordan on board, next came the task of building a list.

Stalwarts Shane Page, Darren Leonard and Luther Baker all re-committed without knowing Jordan would be appointed as coach.

Brothers Duncan and Joel Cadman followed, alongside key figures Jake Ancrum, Jack Bewley and Andrew Azzopardi.

Then, the club ventured broader.

"When you go approaching players that you believe can fill roles well, it's very hard to get them to commit because one of the first things they ask is: "who's your coach," Shelly said.

"Once we'd locked Dan Jordan in, we could have conversations with players like Nick Rodda.

"When you're going to players and can say you've appointed a coach with the calibre of Dan Jordan, it makes the recruiting process a fair bit easier."

Don't expect Rodda to be the last big name arriving at Darley Park, either.

"We're looking to top up with another genuine mid," Shelly said. "We've got a lot of players joining us that are probably in that eight-to-15 range. But, we're looking for another great midfielder."

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