Former Sturt coach Nathan Grima will coach Adelaide Footy League side Glenunga next season
After parting ways with Sturt, Nathan Grima says he considered giving up coaching all together. Now the former AFL player has a new gig after a local footy club came knocking.
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Former Sturt mentor Nathan Grima almost threw in the towel on a coaching career after parting ways with the Double Blues.
The club opted not to renew the ex-North Melbourne and Essendon defender’s contract after two years in charge.
Disappointed with the decision, Grima was set to take a year out of the game and considered giving up coaching.
But after a few weeks, the fire started to burn again.
Then Adelaide Footy League Club Glenunga came knocking with an opportunity he couldn’t refuse.
The 35-year-old will coach the division two side next season.
“When I finished up at Sturt I was initially a little bit off-put about coaching again,” Grima said.
“I went away for a couple of weeks and had initially thought I wouldn’t coach at all.
“But my thinking was that if I passed it up now while not feeling 100 per cent about footy … I knew I’d miss it when footy rolled back around.
“I thought it would be a good fit.
“Having some pre-existing relationships at the club and being div two, taking the pressure off a little bit and getting back the enjoyment again, working with young players and having some fun again.”
Grima took Sturt to fifth in his first season at the helm but the side ended this past campaign sixth with a 5-9 record.
He said leading the Double Blues in the COVID-affected SANFL campaign was tough but was confident the young side would learn a lot.
“We knew this year where we looked to expose some of our younger guys (to league level) and we had some really good young guys coming through,” Grima said.
“We hoped with that group and with some older guys still there that we could push into finals.
“But through some form and injuries to some older guys and then playing a lot of kids, we sort of fell away a little bit in games at times, so that was disappointing.
“I still felt the boys were on the right track.
“But unfortunately results didn’t go our way and it’s just what happens with a young team.
“Things happen in footy and the club’s bigger than the individual.
“You have to cop it, whether you agree or not, move forward and get on with life and that’s what I’ve done.”
Glenunga, meanwhile, ended 2020 bottom of the second tier ladder without a win after claiming the division three premiership in 2019.
Grima said taking the reins at the Rams was exciting and he was keen to help lift the club back into finals contention.
“I know Glenunga had a lot of injuries to senior guys, a lot that didn’t come back after their division three flag and a lot of young players,” Grima said.
“But we are investing in the younger guys at the club.
“As a club we want to create an environment where we can sustain success but also have fun and develop players with their families becoming part of the club.”