Glenelg Football Club dumps first-year women’s coach Aleks Bojanic after four games

GLENELG has sacked its women’s coach four games into the SANFLW season.

Former Glenelg coach Aleks Bojanic, pictured in 2014 when he was coaching Blackfriars Old Scholars. Picture: Bianca De Marchi.

GLENELG Football Club has sacked its women’s coach four games into his first season.

The Tigers parted ways with Aleks Bojanic on Monday – three days after the club slumped to a 0-4 record.

Bojanic was appointed in September to replace Narelle Smith, who was promoted to coach the club’s men’s reserves.

Glenelg’s defeats this season have been by 28, 42, 35 and two points.

Tigers football manager Paul Sandercock said the club made the decision because Bojanic lacked game-day knowledge.

“We loved his passion and commitment to the game,” Sandercock said.

“It was obviously one of his strengths and his ability to try and jell the team.

“But it was probably more just game-day knowledge and ability to sort of get the best out of the team on match days, and I suppose for us it was just his lack of knowledge on game days.

“Really, we weren’t terribly result-orientated.

“I mean everyone wants to win games of footy, but it certainly wasn’t based on that.

“I think it was being able to actually teach them a game style and structure and then having a consistent approach to it on game day.

“I think that’s more where it sat with us.”

Bojanic joined Glenelg in September after four seasons coaching amateur club Blackfriars Old Scholars, where he won a division six premiership in 2014.

He took over a Tigers side that had finished third with a 3-3 record under Smith last year.

Glenelg captain Cassie Hartley is tackled during a game against West Adelaide last year. Picture: Matt Loxton.

Bojanic, who was told of the decision in a meeting before training, said he was disappointed but understood.

“At the end of the day, it didn’t work and for a number of reasons,” Bojanic said.

“Happy to put my hand up as being a part of that but there’s a good deal that has been out of my control.

“Things were, I felt, starting to come together in feeling comfortable.

“Following a discussion with head of football Paul Sandercock, where I felt that I wasn’t coaching to the best of my abilities game day, and that was due in part to the structure that was put in place around me, and also with me adapting to the requirements.

“We were working through that as a collective I felt but the club saw fit to take a new direction, and I respect that decision.”

Glenelg assistant coaches Tammy Scott and Jason Fairall will lead the women’s side for the season’s remaining six games.