Rumours are rife within Wimmera football circles that the Diggers - who are without a coach and have lost key players - could struggle to field a team next season.

Assistant coaches Tim Wade and Jake Kearney left the club for coaching roles at Kalkee, while the Mail-Times understands other key players have also committed to other clubs for next season.

Horsham United president Hamish Mines said talk of folding and crisis meetings were absolutely untrue, and the club had come out of its annual meeting on Friday with positive structures and ideas.

Mr Mines said while the club appeared under attack, it was very strong financially and would put in place some structures to help it retain players in the future.

He urged players and members to back the club.

"Our message to all the players and membership is to hang in there and have faith in the club," Mr Mines said.

"We are annoyed and frustrated that our players are frequently being approached by other clubs.

"We will start working on some retainment schemes and continue to improve the club.

"There are shortages of players within the leagues and we are fighting to retain our players. I don't know what it is about us at the moment, maybe we appear a bit unsettled to outsiders, but we just seem to be targeted more than other clubs."

Wade and Kearney had been offered the Diggers' coaching role after coach Guy Smith stood down at the end of the season.

Mr Mines said the club was well into the process of securing a new coach.

"We have considered probably a dozen options, we have reviewed those options and are now down to a couple who we think are the best prospects," he said.

"We are hopeful we will have a positive outcome from that process in the next couple of weeks."

Mr Mines said it was not ideal to be without a coach while trying to recruit and retain players, but the club would not be rushed into any decision.