Former Willaston coaches Shaun Baker and Mal Greenwood will be coach and assistant at Adelaide Plains club Virginia in 2021
Two former Willaston mentors will join forces as senior and assistant coaches out in the Adelaide Plains Football League next year.
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Former Willaston coaches Shaun Baker and Mal Greenwood will join forces in 2021 at Adelaide Plains club Virginia.
Baker, who departed the Donnybrooks in the middle of the 2020 Barossa, Light & Gawler season, took up the senior role in 2018 after Greenwood left the job that same year after the club’s salary cap saga involving ex-Norwood and Central District player Josh Glenn.
The Rams made the grand final this season, but lost, and Baker is excited to try and take them to the next level.
“We put a few feelers out and got a few bites, we had three or four clubs for choice and found Virginia was the best choice for us locally, it was good because we’re close to the club,” Baker said.
“We have a plan to put together, we put it to the club and we’re going full steam ahead.
“We located where they went wrong last year, they played in a grand final and were up by five to six goals at quarter-time to lose by five or six goals.
“We looked straight away and saw their defence needed something and they needed another key forward.
“We went hard after them and we added a couple more.”
Greenwood hasn’t been in an official role at any country club following his departure from the Donnybrooks over two years ago, and Baker said he’s excited to be back involved.
“He’s rejuvenised to be honest, he has the step back in his feet and been to every footy meeting we’ve had since I took the job,” he said.
They won’t be the only former Willaston faces pulling involved at the Rams in 2021, with Alex Barclay, Brayden Coombs, Nick Lehmann and Aidan Ponton joining the club.
“Alex had the year off this year, and I kept in contact with him because I rate the guy highly,” Baker said.
“I flicked him a message and saw if he wanted a chat, Mal and I have coached him for the last five years (at Willaston).
“He thought it was right for a change, he wanted something different.
“I’ve known Brayden since he was about five, I’ve been good mates with his sister.
“He had a year off in 2019 to get some things right with his head, and now he’s full steam ahead.
“He was a good inclusion to Willaston in 2020, but he’ll be even more coming forward.
“Young Nick Lehmann wants to play on the footy and I rate the kid as an on-baller.
“Aidan Ponton is good mates with Nick and asked if he could have a chat after Nick jumped across.”