New coach, fresh start has West Croydon primed for Adelaide Footy League success

A coaching shift has an Adelaide Footy League club set for a turnaround in culture and success after moving down a division, according to its new president.

An Adelaide Footy League club has set itself up for a major turnaround in 2022 as it battles to move back up to division five.

West Croydon has moved down to division six of the competition, introducing a new president plus A and B Grade coaches as a result of its recent struggle for results.

The Hawks departed with Farin Wanganeen after finishing second-bottom last season and signed experienced coach David Thompson from Eastern Park, while also locking clubman Nathan O’Keeffe in to the B Grade job.

New president Andrew Rennie – replacing Scott Weinert – said the overhaul signalled a desire to turn the club’s fortunes around.

New West Croydon president Andrew Rennie (left) welcomes A Grade coach David Thompson ahead of season 2022. Picture: Supplied, West Croydon Football Club.

“We needed to get back to basics. Whenever you’re in a bit of trouble, you need a decent coach who’s going to fit the club, and Dave (Thompson) is just that,” Rennie said.

“We 100 per cent think we can turn it around this year. We got away from it being fun in recent years, so we just have to learn to enjoy the journey.

“We want to focus on making better people first and if we can do that they’ll be invested and become better footballers. We want to get back to being ourselves.”

Key West Croydon player Luke Woodcock (left) celebrates one of his many goals. Picture: Matt Loxton

Rennie had strong praise for Thompson, who has long-time experience in the Adelaide Footy League and heads to Croydon with the major task of getting the club promoted from division six.

He said Thompson was the ideal coach to take the club forward.

“The man knows what he’s doing, you can tell straight away and you can tell he’s got the respect,” Rennie said.

“He’s a genuine leader and a genuine guy. He’s true to himself and it resonates with all the guys. We’re thrilled to have him onboard.”

Preseason has looked positive for the Hawks, and with the season fast-approaching players had bought in on the process of turning the club around.

WC Football Club

Rennie said a changed attitude across the playing group would translate into success.

“At times, going down a division, most clubs would have unrest, but there’s none of that here right now,” he said.

“You can sometimes get guys who are quite talented drifting away to other clubs but a lot of these guys want to stick together and see this through.”

Rennie also said it was a positive to see large numbers on the track during preseason after the club experienced injury and depth issues in 2021.