The former Eastlake vice captain, and 2019 best and fairest, said positive feedback from other Canberrans who have played in the Riverina League convinced him to head to Kindra Park for the coming season.

He will be joined by three-time Sydney University best and fairest Allister Clarke, meaning Coolamon will have a midfield stacked with talent.

A number of Canberra-based players have headed to the league the past two seasons. The 26-year-old used their feedback to make his decision, in particular former Eastlake teammate Sam de Sousa who played for Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes last year.

"I just needed a change personally to reinvigorate my footy again, and I'm really excited about being part of the community at Coolamon. It seems a really nice place to be and I was really keen for a change, I think," he said.

"I spoke to a few people who have played, or are playing, in the RFL. Everyone that goes from Canberra to play in the country, I haven't spoken to anyone who says a bad word about it.

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"Sam is a friend of mine and my ex-coach Pete McGrath also played at Coolamon, he put in a good word. They gave me a good idea of what I'd be getting into.

"In Canberra, if you've been playing there a long time like myself you can get a bit stale I guess.

"It's still a good competition and pretty strong with the competitive teams there, and there's great players running around."

Darcy said it's been a while since he's been so enthused about football before the start of the season, and is looking to not only play well but also immerse himself in the club off the field.

"That's one of the main drawcards for me, they really seem like they've got a tightknit community and a supportive one, and that was really attractive to me," he said.

"It's about enjoying the whole experience I guess, not just footy and it's got me super excited about footy again. I probably haven't been this keen to play footy in a while, which is really good.

"I want to be a part of the community down there outside of footy as well. I'm not too sure on my role but I want to play my absolute best footy and contribute wherever I can."

Darcy is also a dangerous option up forward. Coolamon have a handful of players who fit that bill, including last year's joint Jim Quinn medallist Jeremy Maslin.

"I've played most of my footy through the midfield and going forward a bit. The last few years at Eastlake that's been my role," he said.

"Whether they may change slightly at Coolamon, I'm not sure. But hopefully I can play midfield and move forward and snag a couple of goals.

"It sounds like we've got a really strong midfield and having depth in that area is crucial for a successful year.

"There'll be a lot of guys going through there, so it will be a challenge to see what works best."

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