AUSSIE RULES: Along with Aaron Barrett, it's also a return to coaching if sorts for Ronnie Keating who will lead the Gladstone Mudcrabs' reserves team this season.

Keating was also a past player at the club who brings plenty of coaching experience from when he mentored at junior grade as well as coaching senior men's and women's grades grades in Brisbane at in the QWAFL competition.

Of the main things he wants to reinforce into the playing group is team-work.

"Around here I know it's a bit hard to all train at the same time with shift-work and everything else, but I'm hoping to bring what I have learned down there in the last four years and implement it here," Keating said.

He started back in 1987 at the Muddies and his final game was for the club in the 2003 grand final and coached the under-11 Mudcrabs in 2005.

"I then went down to Brisbane and coached Moreton Bay Lions from 2013 to last year (2017) and won two premierships down there in 2013 and 2014 in two separate divisions," Keating said.

He was also named North Brisbane Junior coach of the Year in 2013.

Aaron Monish has been re-appointed as the women's coach for the third consecutive season.

The women Mudcrabs finished fourth in 2017 and Monish is keen to see his charges improve.

"We had a lot of new girls last year who have never played the sport before so to play in a final and get that bit of finals experience will help in the long haul," Monish said.

"This year will be a building year again and to take that step forward and as long as we are going forward, whether it's a little step forward or a big step forward, I'm happy just to keep improving.

"We've got a young group of girls."