New Lara co-coach Devon Smith helping the Cats recruit and retain players ahead of 2023 season
Lara co-coach Shayne Stone believes his club’s ‘complete package’ is helping secure some of the GFL’s brightest young talent despite a disappointing season in 2022. Find out why.
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Lara co-coach Shayne Stone has lauded his new partner’s instant impact on the Cats’ football program, and believes he has injected new optimism ahead of 2023.
The Cats announced that former Giant and Bomber forward Devon Smith would return home to Lara in a playing-coaching role alongside Stone.
Stone said Smith’s impact on the club had already been invaluable, even without one pre-season training session being held yet.
“Devon’s engagement has been outstanding, he’s been really motivated to help the club improve,” he said.
“He gives us the complete package, he’s given us the opportunity to talk to potential recruits that otherwise might not have entertained playing with us.
“Then he also gives our younger players a chance to learn off someone who’s been through the AFL system and knows how to be successful at higher levels.
“Devon definitely is helping us get to where we’re going quicker.”
Smith was Lara’s first player signing for the upcoming season, and will play through the midfield and forward lines for the Cats.
Lara junior Oscar Barter will return to the hoops in 2023 after playing a season for Alvie in the Colac and District Football League, while a large majority of the 2022 squad has re-signed before pre-season training starts.
Stone said the club was still working on how to best use Smith on and off the field, but his role would evolve throughout the season as the pair discovered what works.
“Dev’s main focus on Saturday’s will still be playing, he won’t been too focused on too many external factors, we still want him to play his best footy,” he said.
“Our role and responsibilities will evolve over time, at this stage we’re just focused on building relationships and understanding what works.
“Where the real value lies is having him to help share the load, one of the hardest things is getting across the entire list and being able to provide all the players with quality feedback and engagement.
“That’s not just the 15 to 20 guys that play in the seniors regularly, that’s going all the way down the list to the under-18s as well.
“We’re wanting to build the whole club and make sure everyone feels mentored and nurtured, and having someone like Dev coming in to help out with that is really important.
“It’s a pretty exciting time to be at the club, everyone is feeling really good about where we’re at and how we’re tracking.”
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Originally published as New Lara co-coach Devon Smith helping the Cats recruit and retain players ahead of 2023 season
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