Herald Women's Premier League championship-winning coach Keelan Hamilton will take the helm at Lake Macquarie for the 2022 Northern NSW NPL season.
The 34-year-old led New Lambton to the 2019 WPL premiership-championship double in the club's second season in NNSWF's top-flight women's competition.
This year he has newcomers Maitland, who replaced WPL strugglers Thornton, in a battle for a top-four finish with five rounds to be played.
He was coach at Edgeworth early in the 2020 NPL after the exit of Damian Zane but left after three games because he felt he was not in the Eagles' picture for the following season.
Hamilton replaces Josh Rufo at Lakes. Rufo parted ways with the club two weeks ago.
Lake Macquarie are eighth and out of the finals race with two rounds to go.
Hamilton, who has aspirations to one day make coaching his profession, was looking forward to a new challenge with the Roosters but said he had taken on the appointment with mixed emotions.
"Sometimes you just can't write the script of what happens," Hamilton said. "I have some ambitions and I want to keep being challenged and opportunities in men's space for people like myself, who don't have a bit of a profile from a playing history, don't come around that often.
"It's come probably 12 months sooner or later than would've been perfect because what we've started at Maitland is really good and I'm really happy there. It's just one of those things where it's come at a tough time."
Hamilton met with the Magpies senior playing group through zoom last week and said the club had been supportive of his decision.
"Our conversations early on have been very open about my ambitions as a coach, so they've been really understanding of that," Hamilton said.
"Both parties are a little bit sad. I'm sad about it but it's extremely amicable. It's just one of those things where you can't plan timing. That's the hard bit.
"We are doing OK and we were building something nice. But that doesn't change for the club, who are really committed to the women's program. So there's obviously some disappointment there. But we know that hopefully if we get back on the pitch this season we've still got stuff to achieve."
The Magpies are fifth with 24 points and four adrift of Adamstown and Warners Bay, who are level-pegged for third place. The WPL, like all community sport, is on hold due to a statewide coronavirus lockdown in NSW.
Maitland Football Club president Ray Watkins said the club were grateful for the start Hamilton has given the club in WPL.
"We're sad to lose Keelan but we also understand the basis of his decision and we wish him well," Watkins told the Herald.
"Who knows what the rest of the 2021 season is, but we have certainly been more than happy with what the girls have put together for us this year. And that's been in most of the grades as well. We would've liked to have carried that momentum on with Keelan there next but if it's not to be it's not to be.
"But we've given the girls a reassurance that the likes of myself and the executive at Maitland are committed to being able to provide our region of the Hunter Valley with a top-class women's football team. So we will continue that and we'll continue to grow and add to that momentum."
