Happy Valley sacks coach four games into Southern Football League season
AN Adelaide footy club has sacked its coach just four games into a winless season. The blindsided mentor’s described the move as “pretty drastic”. The club says he’s too old-school.
A SOUTHERN Football League club has sacked its coach just four games into the season and seven months after his appointment.
Happy Valley dismissed Stephen Keam at training last Thursday on the back of the winless club’s 124-point loss to Reynella at Reynella Oval on Saturday.
Keam’s dumping comes 13 months after fellow SFL club Aldinga Sharks axed coach Shane Lynch two rounds into the season after two thrashings by a combined margin of 457 points.
Keam, who took over from former Western Bulldog and Sturt premiership player Matthew Dent in October, said he was blindsided by the timing of his dumping.
“(Happy Valley president) Steve Maguire came up to me with a very stern looking face ... and said you’re sacked immediately,” Keam said.
“Four games in, it’s pretty drastic.
“It’s disappointing in a sense that I didn’t think I was getting an opportunity to do what I thought they were getting me there to do.”
Happy Valley — a semi-finalist last year and the 2012 premier — sits second-bottom on the ladder with a 0-4 record.
The Vikings’ defeats have been by 23, eight, 18 and 124 points.
“We’d had a tough start to the season but were competitive, apart from against Reynella,” Keam said.
Keam said his views differed to some club officials and players on the club’s expectations this season.
He said Happy Valley lost about a dozen first-choice players in the off-season and would have to rebuild this year.
“This was going to be a one season adjustment and, all being well, players were going to be coming back and we’d be back up around the place.
“It comes back to people’s insecurities, three or four guys in the leadership group struggling with the fact that they are losing, which is something a bit foreign to them, and the president as well.
“There’d be some people asking questions, rather than being strong, understanding what’s going on and being realistic.”
Happy Valley president Steve Maguire said the decision to dump Keam wasn’t made lightly.
However, he said several players had threatened to quit the club if Keam remained coach because they considered him too old-school for the role.
“We’re having players walk off the track and saying to me and other people in the club that they’re not enjoying football, not enjoying the situation we’re in and didn’t want to play for the coach,” Maguire said.
“What do you do?
“I’ve got to look at the future of the club, the longevity of the club and the health of the club.
“Stephen has lost the faith of the players and we had to make a call.”
Maguire said the club thought Keam’s coaching style was “more in the 1980s or ‘90s”.
“Most clubs are doing 40 to 45 interchanges during a game and we’re down to 10 to 12, that’s not using the bench,” he said.
Maguire said Keam interviewed well and was considered the best man for the job when he was appointed.
“We’ve had numerous conversations over the last few weeks – this process has been going on for a long time,” he said.
“It’s not as if I woke up yesterday morning and said I’m going to sack the coach of the Happy Valley Football Club.”
Maguire said the club hoped to appoint a permanent replacement in coming weeks and has appointed its reserves coach Adam Taylor as caretaker in the meantime.
He described the Vikings’ future as “pretty rosy” and said they could still play finals this season.
Keam, a former South Adelaide and Norwood player, started coaching at Mitchell Park in 1987.
Since then there have been stops at Aldinga, Reynella, St Peter’s Old Collegians, South Adelaide’s under-19s, North Adelaide’s under-19s and Marion.
He has won two premierships from six grand finals.
Keam did not expect to coach again and said this might be a sad end to his coaching journey.
“It’s very disappointing that some people might only remember that one, rather than the history and what you’ve been able to achieve at all these other clubs through your career.
“But that’s how life is.”