About

Our Story

Casey TigerSharks has a proud history and was formed in 1980 to cater for the growing demand for competition swimming in the Cranbourne area. Known then as the Cranbourne TigerSharks, the black and yellow club uniform was a familiar sight at pools across Victoria.

In 2001 the club decided to change its name to appeal more broardly to the growing population within the City of Casey. The TigerShark theme was retained for the new orange and blue club uniform that is now a familiar sight at competitions across Australia.

Casey TigerSharks forms part of the Melbourne Metropolitan South District of Swimming Clubs and regularly participates at competitions across this region.

Casey TigerSharks trains across two wonderful aquatic facilities located in the City of Casey.
Both centers feature competition standard 8-lane pools with starting blocks and a moveable boom to provide two 25m pools.
These great facilities are ideal for Casey TigerSharks squad training.

Meet The Coaches

Craig Albery

A former British Midland District and National Age Group swimmer who was based at the Carlton Forum and Nova Centurion Swimming Clubs in Nottingham, England.

His first coaching role was at Nottingham Leander, where he became the lead member of the team selection committee and Founder of the Clubs Junior and Age Group Development programme. During his tenure, Leander became the top Nottinghamshire competition Club for 7 years in succession as well as reaching three National Junior and three National Senior club finals at the annual British Speedo League. Nottingham Leander is also renowned for developing and feeding the Nottinghamshire County Swim Squad and its competitive outlet Nova Centurion. Albery was highly influential in the development of swimmers through this pathway which has seen Nottinghamshire, Midland District, UK National, International, World and Olympic Champions.

In July 2008 and just after his arrival in New Zealand he took over as the sole coach at Te Awamutu Swimming Club. The following four years saw the club rise into a major swimming force within the Waikato. The club grew not only swimmer wise but as an organisation with a completely new squad structure and Management team being put in place. This re-structure and growth saw the club produce Junior Age Group, National Division II, National Age and Open Age Group qualifiers and Champions. Following the London 2012 Olympics, Albery was appointed as the inaugural Director of Coaching at Capital Swim Club in Wellington, New Zealand.

The next three years saw Capital cement itself as the No1 club within the Wellington region as well as firmly being placed as a top three club in New Zealand. The club’s performances gifted Craig the title of Coach of the Year for three successive seasons within the Wellington Region. This success placed Craig and his athletes onto the Swimming New Zealand Development and Youth Pathway programme. Selection onto the New Zealand Paralympics’ team that placed fourth in Montreal at the 2013 World Championships, where his athlete delivered 5 Gold and I Silver medal. Throughout 2013 the same swimmer broke 9 world records. Albery was also selected as SNZ’s pool and Open Water Coach at the 2014 Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Hawaii and the 2014 New Zealand World Short Course team that travelled to Qatar.

Craig became the Head Coach at Casey TigerSharks in December 2015. After a couple of uninspiring years before his arrival, TigerSharks regained its position as a top six Victorian club at the end of 2019. National Open Water and National Age Group success followed in 2020 before COVID struck a damaging blow to the clubs’ momentum. The club worked tirelessly during this time and relied upon Craig’s experience and knowledge to navigate its way through a difficult time for all Victorian clubs and guarantee TigerSharks survival.

Brenton Falkner

A former National Age Group and Open Level Open Water swimmer who competed for the Albury Amateur Swimming Club, in New South Wales. During his final summer season of competition in 2008/09, he joined the coaching ranks at his childhood club working with the junior squads as a development of strokes and race preparation coach.

In 2012 and wanting to develop his coaching skills, Brenton departed Albury SC to join the Wodonga Amateur Swimming Club who at that time were being coached by world renowned and ASCTA life member Michael Ursu. Falkner was tasked with developing the clubs’ Junior Age Group program with a remit to produce top level Victorian Country and Victorian State level swimmers. At the end of the Winter Short Course season in 2015, and after great success, Brenton was appointed the Head Coach of Wodonga City Swimming Club.

In his first summer season as Head Coach, his swimmers produced unrivalled success at both the Victorian Country and Victorian State Age Group Championships. His drive and ambition saw the small club triple in size in terms of its membership. In 2017, Brent’s coaching prowess was rewarded with a Swimming Victoria/ASCTAVic award for coaching a swimmer onto a Victorian State Team. In his time as Head Coach at Wodonga SC, Falkner coached 5 National Age Group swimmers as well as producing a Victorian State and Victorian Country record holder.

Brent joined the TigerSharks Coaching Team in May 2019.

Riley Gardiner

Joined the coaching team at TigerSharks in March 2024. Gardiner started his competitive swimming journey by joining Casey TigerSharks Swimming Club as a 10-year-old in 2011. He progressed through the then squad system with rapid ease before representing TigerSharks at his first Victorian Age Championships in 2013, as a 12-year-old.

As an age group swimmer, he was regularly invited to train with multiple Olympians and Commonwealth Games medallists, which in turn helped him to qualify for the 2015 and 2016 Australian Age Group Championships in both the 100m and 200m Breaststroke. Whilst swimming at the National Age Championships, Riley chose to gain valuable knowledge by closely observing some of the country’s best age group swimmers.

Before retiring from competitive swimming at the end of 2019, he had already begun to pass on his findings of the sport by becoming a swim teacher at KingSwim in Berwick. Eager to develop his skill base, Gardiner willingly undertook various coaching courses as he continued to learn and grow as a coach. He later started coaching at D5 Swim Club as a junior coach with the primary role to develop and encourage swimmers from the learn to swim program to take part in various swimming meets throughout Victoria as a competitive swimmer.

Riley eventually followed his heart, returning to the club where it all started for him by joining the Coaching Team at TigerSharks. After a long career in the sport as both an athlete and a coach, Riley brings a depth of experience that is invaluable to the club and its aspiring young athletes. As he works alongside his former coach, Craig Albery, the understanding, and expectation for excellence is sure to benefit everyone connected with the club.

TigerSharks

Our Story

Meet The Coaches

Craig Albery

Brenton Falkner

Riley Gardiner

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