Donachie joins the team at Mariners

Experienced defender and Three-time A-League champion James Donachie has signed on to the Central Coast Mariners with a one year deal ahead of 2025/26 Isuzu UTE A-League season.

The 32-year-old adds extensive experience to Mark Jackson’s squad, with 267 professional appearances to his name, 192 of those in the A-League from spells with Brisbane Roar, Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC and Western United.

Donachie has also enjoyed spells overseas, with Jeonnam Dragons (K-League) and Goa (Indian Super League) respectively, and arrives on the Coast after a short stint in NPL NSW with Sydney Olympic.

A towering defender at 1.93m, Donachie began his A-League career at Brisbane Roar under Ange Postecoglu, making his professional debut in the Roar’s 2011/12 A-League Championship-winning season.

He continued his development with Roar, playing over 60 times across the A-League and AFC Champions League and winning another championship in 2014, before making the move to Melbourne Victory in 2016.

There, he would win his third A-League Championship Winners Medal, in 2018, when he famously assisted Kosta Barbarouses for the only goal of the game as Victory defeated Newcastle Jets at McDonald Jones Stadium.

He enjoyed two spells at Victory, either side of his first overseas move, to South Korea, before moving to Goa and then Sydney FC in 2021.

After a two-year stay at Sydney, Donachie made the switch to Western United where he made 19 Isuzu UTE A-League appearances across two seasons, including the 2024/25 campaign in which Western reached the semi-finals.

After arriving on the Coast and getting straight to work with Jacko and the team, Donachie is feeling at home already and looking forward to the start of the Isuzu UTE A-League season.

“I’m really excited to be joining what is a great group of lads at the Mariners.” Donachie said.

“Everyone at the club has welcomed me in and made me feel at home straight away, I’m looking forward to getting straight into some games and letting the football do the talking.

“There is a great culture here and I can’t wait to see how far we can go this year.”

Club Sporting Director Matt Simon is pleased with the addition of the experienced defender.

“We are really happy to add James to the squad, his vast A-League experience is a welcome boost to our young team.” he said.

“He is a great character and has already settled well into the group, we’re looking forward to seeing his impact.”