Tony McGuinness, Jace Bode among new coaches in Adelaide Footy League for 2020
Ex-AFL players, a former Crows captain, SANFL premiership winners and local legends are among the new faces taking up coaching roles in the Adelaide Footy League this year.
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Both division one grand final coaches are gone, a top tier stalwart welcomes a familiar face as its new leader and there’s an enforced change at a promoted club.
The Adelaide Footy League is less than three months from kicking off and local footy writer Patrick Keam has analysed the coaching changes in the top two tiers.
DIVISION ONE
PAYNEHAM NORWOOD UNION
New coach: Jace Bode
Previous coach: Garry McIntosh
2019: Premier
Can the Falcons go back-to-back with a new coach?
Club legend Garry McIntosh has stepped down from the top job at Payneham Norwood Union with former Norwood captain Jace Bode taking the reins.
While McIntosh will still be on hand to guide him, Bode is understood to have wasted no time in bringing a new philosophy and gamestyle to the reigning premiers.
It appears to be the perfect situation for the 32-year-old to begin his coaching career.
PRINCE ALFRED OLD COLLEGIANS
New coach: Craig Pitt
Previous coach: Brett Backwell
2019: Runner-up
Prince Alfred parting ways with 2016 premiership and 2019 grand final mentor Brett Backwell was one of the shocks of the off-season.
Incoming playing coach Craig Pitt, who joined the Reds last year, will have plenty to live up to after Backwell guided the club to within four points of another top flight flag in September.
But the addition of good mate Jack Trengove to the PAOC line-up as a playing assistant will give Pitt a bit of a hand.
GOODWOOD SAINTS
New coach: Luke Donaldson
Previous coach: Adam Jeffries
2019: 5th
Returning Goodwood to its former glory will be the objective when new coach and ex-player Luke Donaldson takes over at the Saints.
They won seven top flight flags from 2005-2015 but have made finals only twice in the four campaigns since – a foreign feeling for the once-dominant club.
Donaldson, who won the role after Adam Jeffries stood down at the end of the season, was a Saints premiership player in 2009 and 2014, and knows the club well.
He also took Westminster Old Scholars to the division four flag in 2016.
ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY
New coach: Ben Watkins
Previous coach: Craig Smith
2019: 8th
Adelaide University flirted with relegation in 2019 before winning four of their final seven games to stay in the top tier for another season.
It was despite some changes off-field.
Ben Watkins took over as interim coach for those last seven matches after Craig Smith was given leave for personal reasons and Watkins retains the role permanently for 2020.
The Blacks haven’t finished above the bottom four spots since 2013, so avoiding being sucked into the relegation battle will be a start for Watkins’ men.
ATHELSTONE
New coach: Chris Radetti
Previous coach: Jade Sheedy
2019: Premier (D2)
Premiership coach Jade Sheedy signed off on the perfect note after guiding Athelstone to the division two flag in 2019 and then taking the job at Woodville-West Torrens.
Experienced division one player Chris Radetti will take over as Raggies coach in their return to the top flight.
It was just a one-year stint in the second tier for the club, which suffered relegation in 2018.
Radetti – a two-time division one premiership player with Gaza – joined Athelstone from the Eagles last season and played 20 games under Sheedy.
CONTINUING COACHES
Will O’Malley (Rostrevor OC), Geoff Riddle (St Peter’s OC), Simon Maddern (Port District), Joel Tucker (Brighton Bombers) and Kane Stewart (Unley Mercedes – promoted).
DIVISION TWO
PHOS CAMDEN
New coach: Ryan Willits
Previous coach: Simon Quinn
2019: 5th
Incoming PHOS Camden playing coach Ryan Willits says he is not placing any expectations on his side after taking over from the club’s longest ever serving mentor.
The West Adelaide 2015 premiership ruckman, who replaces long-time Phantoms coach Simon Quinn, joined the Novar Gardens club in October.
Quinn stepped down in September and then took up the coaching role at Hills Football League club Echunga.
It is the only coaching change in division two ahead of the season.
Willits said it was difficult to expect what life would be like in division two of the Adelaide Footy League this season after spending the past three years in a player/coach role at Jervois in the River Murray Football League.
“I have no real expectations yet of where we will sit or how we’re going to go,” said Willits, who led the Bluds to the finals every campaign he was in charge.
“The focus for this year will be trying to get the best out of our group, trying to get in tune with a new game plan, new coach, all that sort of stuff.
“It might take a little while, it might work straight away, we don’t know.”
Willits said the club was still going through the recruitment process, while attempting to convince some of the Phantoms’ older brigade to pull the boots on for another season.
CONTINUING COACHES
Justin Maschotta (Tea Tree Gully – relegated), Jarrad Parker (Henley – relegated), Steve Kay (Sacred Heart OC), Joe Hay (Salisbury North), Paul Marshall (Seaton Ramblers), Nathan Grainger (Broadview), Kym Cobb (Scotch OC), John Cunningham (Glenunga – promoted) and Damian Boots (Old Ignatians – promoted).
OTHER DIVISIONS
MORPHETTVILLE PARK
New coach: Tony McGuinness
Previous coach: Jack Horan
2019: 9th (D3)
After a decade out of the public eye, division four club Morphettville Park was not the first place you would expect to see former Adelaide Crows captain Tony McGuinness bob up.
But the 222-game AFL player and Magarey Medallist will take charge at the Roos as they attempt to return to division three following relegation in 2019.
Morphettville Park joined the competition in division four from the Southern Football League in 2017 and won promotion immediately.
The club, which is also undergoing a redevelopment to its clubrooms and oval, will hope McGuinness can inspire a rise back up the ranks.
FLINDERS PARK
New coach: Luke Ivens
Previous coach: David Kennewell
2019: 3rd (D3)
Promotion will be high on the agenda at Flinders Park with former North Adelaide player Luke Ivens taking the reins.
Ivens, who played 193 SANFL games for the Roosters, has spent the past four seasons coaching Hills Football League club Uraidla and takes over from David Kennewell.
The Reds have played finals in division three each of the past four seasons, including a preliminary final loss last season, but have failed to take the leap to division two the club desires.
PORTLAND
New coach: Matt Stelzer
Previous coach: Rob Thompson
2019: 6th (D3)
A man who is no stranger to country football success, Matt Stelzer steps into coaching in the amateur system with Portland.
Stelzer has five premierships to his name with Barossa Districts, including two as captain, as well as a Riverland Football League flag with Renmark Rovers.
He replaces Rob Thompson, who chose to step down in September.
The Thunder experienced an up-and-down campaign in 2019 and missed out on finals by two wins.
WESTMINSTER OLD SCHOLARS
New coach: Paul Sherwood
Previous coach: David Piasente
2019: 7th (D3)
A familiar face is at the helm for Westminster Old Scholars – premiership-winning coach Paul Sherwood.
Sherwood guided the Dragons to flags in 2013 (division six) and 2014 (division five) and returns to the club after helping Glenelg to last season’s drought-breaking flag as an assistant to Mark Stone.
He also played 190 SANFL games for the Bays.
Sherwood arrives with former West Adelaide captain David Piasente departing to take up an assistant coaching role at the Bloods.
NORTH HAVEN
New coach: Ryan McInerney
Previous coach: Mark Tylor
2019: 5th (D3)
Former Port Magpies and Glenelg player Ryan McInerney will be the man in charge of North Haven for season 2020.
McInerney succeeds Port Adelaide premiership player and two-time Ken Farmer Medallist Mark Tylor, who guided the Magpies to the division four flag in 2017 as part of a fruitful three-year stint.
WALKERVILLE
New coach: Ryan Madden
Previous coach: Wayne Weidemann
2019: 4th (D4)
Walkerville will hope a new direction can rejuvenate the club as stalwart Ryan Madden comes in to take over from former Crows cult figure Wayne Weidemann.
Previously regular feature in the higher divisions, the Cats suffered two relegations in four seasons before consolidating in the fourth tier and reaching a semi-final last year.
But Madden is no fresh face at Walkerville.
He is the A grade games record holder at the club (298 matches), captained the Cats from 2015-2019 and has coached the B grade the past two seasons.
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