New South Adelaide coach Brad Gotch attracted to Noarlunga by the challenge
NEW South Adelaide coach Brad Gotch says his first task is to begin to lay the foundation for long-term success.
THE challenge.
It has often been cited by incoming South Adelaide coaches as a major reason why they have taken on the job despite many considering it a poisoned chalice.
Ron Fuller told The Advertiser that it was part of the appeal in taking the role in 2009, describing the task of turning the club into a premiership contender "frontier football".
He was sacked in August with 12 months remaining on his five-year contract.
That has led Brad Gotch to Noarlunga, where he becomes the 19th man to take the reins at South since Neil Kerley led the club to its last premiership in 1964.
Gotch, a long-time VFL coach and former Power assistant, is also drawn to the challenge of turning the Panthers into a consistent force.
He was appointed earlier this month and said his first task was to begin to lay the foundation for long-term success.
"In South's case I sold the vision that I think the initial thing for us is to climb the ladder after finishing eighth this year," Gotch said.
"The second port of call is to get a sustained period of success.
"The only way you do that is look at the foundations that you build all over your organisation - the way you play, the culture, the way you develop, the way junior development works."
The South job marks a return to senior coaching for Gotch, who has spent the past two seasons in the AFL with Port Adelaide - the first as a backline coach and the next as a Melbourne-based opposition analyst.
He had previously built an impressive coaching resume at Victorian clubs Springvale, Prahran, Williamstown and Casey, snaring three premierships.
"I felt like I wanted to go back," Gotch says.
"Being a club starved of success excites me that maybe I can give something towards it.
"It's a great challenge for me at my stage of coaching."
Gotch said South, which has recently re-signed best and fairest winners Joel Cross and Nick Liddle, had a "good core group (of players) to build on".
He planned to implement a "more contemporary game" based on exciting attacking play and team defence.
"They play a pretty good brand of footy when they knuckle down to it but they have to learn how to defend and reduce the scoreline of the opposition as well.
"I've got to try to teach the players what's the right way to go about things and, as far as I'm concerned, it comes through hard work, repetition, training it and education."