There will be day in 2026 when new Kooweerup coach Darren Hulme addresses his players on the same day that the club celebrates the 45-year reunion of its 1981 premiership.
The fact that it’s the most recent in Kooweerup’s history gives an indication of the size of the challenge that now confronts the man that his friends call ‘Pup’.
The 48-year-old, who played 110 AFL games and kicked 56 goals for Carlton, has signed on to lead the Demons for the next two years.
It follows a season working beside outgoing coach Dale Alanis, who planned on playing a full season in the seniors before a bicep injury cruelled his impact in round eight.
It saw Alanis become a more traditional coach from the sidelines; dampening the impact of Hulme, who was initially slated to be the eyes and ears of Alanis from the coach’s box.
With Kooweerup and Alanis deciding to part ways, Hulme decided the time was right to add to his previous coaching experience at senior and junior level.
“I had a good chat to Dale (Alanis), we’ve been really open, and he said if I wanted to coach Kooweerup that he would have no ill-feeling towards it and it might be what the group needs…a different voice to take them forward with some fresh ideas,” Hulme said.
Hulme built his reputation on being tenacious and tough, uncompromising and honest, and squeezing every single ounce of his abilities.
It’s a trait he will bring to Kooweerup as he looks to replace John McKenzie as the club’s most recent senior premiership coach.
“To be honest I think the club is stuck in a cultural environment where it’s a country club, enjoyment is the focus, and players probably haven’t bought into the extra professionalism that’s required to generate success,” he said.
“They’re a great bunch of blokes, I love them, and that’s what’s drawn me to the footy club, but there’s definitely still an education piece there about what’s required to be a really good footy side.
“I was fortunate enough to work for Leading Teams, when I was playing AFL, so I’m right in that leadership and cultural space about how to improve and drive standards within a group.
“We probably didn’t do enough of that type of thing due to time constraints this year…but I’ll be big on that and they’ll be key focus areas in the build up to next year.
“What drives them to play footy; what drives them to get better?”
Kooweerup has an emerging list of talented youngsters, and also a core group – led by brothers Matthew and Nathan Voss – that has the potential to drive the club to its next glorious success.
But it’s also a list that needs strengthening, with leg speed through the middle of the ground and a key target up forward key focus areas on the recruiting front.
The Demons showed promising signs this year, with forwards Josiah and Will Farrer adding plenty of excitement to the front half; with spectacular marks and clever goals a common occurrence.
Kooweerup is heading to the north of the continent once again to bolster its playing stocks.
“We’ve got some recruits already signed from the Northern Territory for next year, which will add to our midfield depth,” Hulme explained.
“We didn’t have the numbers to roll through there like the good teams have; ideally you want seven or eight guys, and adding speed is a key to that, and we’re pretty keen on a key forward that’s going to kick us 70 or 80 goals.
“We’re in talks with a couple at the moment, and if we manage to jag them it will catapult us as a footy team…if we get one in particular it will be a pretty big news story, that’s for sure.
“We’re certainly not going to die wondering and we’re having a crack in the market to try and jag a big powerhouse forward.”
While Hulme will drive high standards for the Demons in both their physical and mental preparation for next year; he’s also focussed on making sure a multiple set of game plans will stack up under pressure.
“In today’s footy you need to be able to adapt and play a number of different styles; depending on what the opposition is giving you, the conditions, so I’ll be educating the guys to play four different styles of footy,” he said.
“We won’t have a concrete rigid gameplan that we don’t shift from, the key is flexibility and the boys just need to go through the education process of understanding the different phases that we need.
“It might be game to game, it could be quarter to quarter, the aim is to be more difficult to play against on a consistent basis.
“I love the defensive side of the game, it’s something I hold close to my heart; you have to be able to defend, and defend well, and there will be some non-negotiables that I will expect from all of my players from a defensive aspect.
“I will never take away a player’s flair, but the defensive side of the game, and the effort that needs to be applied…is an expectation that needs to be there.”
There’s a fair chance that the next premiership coach of Kooweerup could have a bronze statue installed at the corner of the Kooweerup Pub, and Hulme is keen to be the man.
“I don’t think I’ve been as passionate or excited about footy as I am right now,” he said.
“There’s so much upside within this group and I’m pretty keen to hook in and start driving some high standards.
“I think we’ll start seeing results; the aim is to at least win a final next year and then progress even further from there.”
Hulmes brother-in-law Daniel Tannahill will be his assistant-coach next year while Kooweerup stalwart Ben Miller will also be part of the mentor group.
