AFL Outer-East: Nathan Johns takes the coaching reins at Belgrave

If the enthusiasm shown by newly-appointed coach Nathan Johns is any indication, expect Belgrave to be jumping out of its skin by the first bounce of the AFL Outer-East season.

If the enthusiasm shown by newly-appointed coach Nathan Johns is any indication, expect Belgrave to be jumping out of its skin by the first bounce of the AFL Outer-East season.

“I’m really enjoying the challenge,” he said. “You’ve really got to bring energy to any role.

“What we want see from anyone is that they are enjoying it, but what we really want is intent on the deck.”

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Nathan Johns has moved form Crib Point to take the reins at Belgrave.

Belgrave finished the 2018 AFL Yarra Ranges Division 1 season with a 2-16 record, just percentage clear of Warburton Millgrove in the battle for the wooden spoon.

Last year’s bottom five — Mount Evelyn, Monbulk, Emerald, Belgrave and Warburton Millgrove — will be joined by clubs from the now defunct South-East Football Netball League — Pakenham, Doveton and Officer/ROC — to form the eight-team Division 1 in the new AFL Outer-East.

The departure of Peter Gough leaves Belgrave with some big shoes to fill

In the off-season, the Magpies saw Peter Gough (Olinda Ferny Creek), Michael and James Brown (Fairpark) and Jordan McDermott (South Belgrave) depart the club.

“Obviously we’ve lost Goughy and the Brown boys, and McDermott has gone to South Belgrave,” Johns said. “But I’m bringing nine players in and I just finalised my list last night. We’re in a really good place, it’s all firing.

“It’s really good, we’re in the bracket where we can take it to the next level.”

Johns spent last season as head coach at MPNFL’s Crib Point and, prior to that, had time as an assistant-coach with EFL’s East Burwood and guided St Kilda City’s under-19s to back-to-back premierships in the SFL.

He also spent time with the Casey VFL and Dandenong Stingrays (TAC Cup) programs.

It is this exposure to footy at an elite level that he hopes will rub off on his Belgrave line-up this season.

“It’s been a bit of a shellshock to some of the boys,” he said. “But they have really embraced it.”

Belgrave has undertaken one of its busiest pre-seasons in many a year.

“We’ve just come off three weeks training with Scoresby,” he said. “There’s nothing better than training when you have 65 blokes on the training track.”

As well as the large numbers at training Johns said match simulation drills had been of a higher intensity than previous summers where players may have gone a little easy on their clubmates.

Over the next month Johns said the Magpies’ preparation will step up a notch with matches against Croydon, Scoresby, Numurkah and Olinda pencilled in before the season proper.

“We’re giving ourselves the best opportunity to be the best prepared we can,” Johns said.

Belgrave will open its AFL Outer-East season with a clash against Monbulk at home on Saturday, April 13.

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