By Marcus Uhe
New coaching group, new president, an injection of youth and a fresh set of eyes.
Things are going to look different at Officer Football Club this season under new coach Daniel Charles, and early indications have them pointing in the right direction.
2022 was a tough year for the ‘Roos, winning one game and dropping from Premier Division in the Outer East Football Netball League after senior coach Doug Koop was removed from his position in May.
But Charles, a man with a decorated playing and coaching history at local level, isn’t concerned about what his new chargers have done before; He wants to know what they can bring this season.
“I’m coming in not knowing 95 per cent of the group, so I think a lot of them, whether they’ve been pigeonholed in the past, might see it as a fresh start,” Charles said.
“I didn’t ask for the club’s input because as soon as we start talking about players, the club (and this is every club), it’s always, ‘he’s a seconds player, he’s a thirds player, he’s a senior player.’
“I wanted to make my own mind up and all I’ve got to go on is their work-rate, efforts and whether they’re coachable or not during pre-season.
“It’s a tactic for me to give blokes a go based on their efforts at training and not what they’ve been like in the past.”
Charles and his assistants have had a minimum of 40 players and a maximum of 60 bounce into every training session to date, with a steady flow of juniors and under 19 players keen to ingratiate themselves into the club’s culture as they look to open their doors to the community.
Youngsters such as Antonio Qauch, Angus Clavarino and Mason Binns, who all made the move to Starling Road from Berwick, and Zach Charles, have all made an excellent early impression on the track, while some of the club’s veterans in Brett Moloney and last year’s skipper Luke Smaluch continue to set the standards.
“Their attendance has been fantastic and they’re some of the fittest down there,” Charles said.
“Their workrate’s been great and their attendance has been great.
“I’m just hoping they can all play as well as they’ve been training, because if they can, it’s going to be an exciting year.”
Joining Charles in the coaches box are leaders who he has familiarity with, in Scott McGeagh, also joining from Berwick, Pakenham premiership players Travis Murphy and Craig McGrath, and Trent Canute.
While Canute will look after the under-19 program, a concerted effort is being made throughout the club to adopt a streamlined approach on Saturdays, to ensure minimal disruption to the side if they are befallen by injury or otherwise.
“He (Canute) knows that every team at the club is going to be running with the same structure, game-plan, terminology and everyone’s on the same page,” Charles said.
“It’s all about knowing what your roles and responsibilities are so that when you come up, you might not do it as flashy as the guy you’re replacing, but you can still do the same effective job and know exactly what needs to be done if we’re all on the same page.”
In new acquisitions such as key forward Mark Seedsman and running defender Luke Hagger, there’s fresh optimism ahead of their round one clash with Emerald on Saturday 15 April.
And having sat-out of football coaching in 2022, Charles is as hungry as anyone to return ROC to the top.
“I did really miss coaching last year,” he said.
“I’m excited, I look forward to every Monday and Wednesday at the moment.
“As soon as Wednesday’s over I’m already thinking about Monday, where we can improve and what we can do, working with the other coaches.
“My motivation is to develop and improve, but getting back into Premier Division, that’s the destination.
“We’re just focused on the journey at the moment.”
