It’s thumbs up for Tooradin’s under 18s this year, with the Seagulls thinking outside the square and appointing a group of senior players to coach the club’s upandcomers in 2007.By Brad Kingsbury
TOORADIN Football Club can never be accused of throwing in the towel when it comes to the everconstant battle to field a competitive under18 side.
Through hard work and the dedication of coach Tom Hallinan, the Seagulls managed to field a junior side every week last season, with their solitary win sparking finalslike celebrations.
This year, with Hallinan moving into the senior coaching position, the club has initiated a radical new eightman coaching structure for the under18s in an effort to offer junior players something different from the norm.
Hallinan, in conjunction with Tooradin president Chris Denereaz, came up with the plan to use senior players, divided into pairs, to take charge of training and matchday duties on a rotational basis for 2007.
The Seagull players were asked to consider the idea and Hallinan said there was no shortage of volunteers to join the program with eight players volunteering, making four groups of two.
The players to take the reins this season are Brian Wells and Michael Hobbs, Ben Disney and Brett Hobson, Greg Bethune and Adam Splatt and the Scanlon brothers Ben and Seamus.
While under18 numbers are still an issue at the Western Port oval, the club is hoping the plan that forges closer ties with the senior side will help address that in the weeks leading up to the season.
“We’re thinking right outside the square with this, but we couldn’t find one individual in there so we’ve got four pairs of senior players who will rotate in the job on a weekly basis,” Hallinan said.
“Chris will oversee the whole thing, including training, and we were rapt to have eight blokes put their hands up and take it on.
“We think it will give the under18s variety and a different voice, the senior players a chance to be involved in the mentoring role and it also gives the players a chance to experience coaching without a fulltime commitment,” he said.
“There are some tremendous positives with the idea.”
One negative could be the transfer of information, but Hallinan said that could also be turned into a positive for the club with players and officials forced to communicate and become closer in the process.
“It ties the under18s to the seniors beautifully, rather than them being seen as separate to the club,” he said.
“We had to do something, so we just had a go. It’s been very positive so far and, with the pressure on the under18s, maybe other clubs might be interested in it as a way to strengthen their juniors.”
