WGFC: How Matt Shorey plans to take Nar Nar Goon back to back

New Nar Nar Goon coach Matt Shorey is confident the introduction of different methods will drive the Goon in their premiership defence and he addresses the rumours surrounding a star big man.

Matt Shorey.

New Nar Nar Goon coach Matt Shorey says he will bring “small things without changing the whole landscape”.

Shorey, who joins the Goon from Heatherton, takes over from premiership coach Justin Stanton.

Shorey faces the challenge of taking over a group fresh off a premiership.

But he is confident a new voice will sustain its drive for further success.

“I think a new coach is really good for them, not saying Justin wouldn’t have done it but I didn’t know their system and I will do things a little differently,” he said.

“If there was any complacency I think it is massaged out with a new look on things and different methods.

“I won’t be putting Trent Armour at full back though, put it that way, there’s nothing majorly different but we will tweak and make the club stronger.

“I am going to throw my tweaks on it, we don’t want to get complacent but from what I’ve seen, it’s a bloody talented group.

“They’ve done very well as a group and we want to be successful moving on for the next few years.”

Matt Shorey also coached Hampton Park. Picture: Chris Eastman

Shorey took a young team from a winless season to a preliminary final in the space of two years at Heatherton.

He credits that rise to his relationship building and aims to do it again with the Goon.

“The vibe around the group, the structure, it’s all there – I can see it,” he said.

“I can bring some things, especially my relationship building, that is my strength and I want to build relationships with this group.

“I want to find things in players they thought they never had.”

The Goon will be without Brent Hughes and Trent McDermott in 2025 through retirement.

Shorey is aware of the hole they leave but remains assured by other leaders.

“Hughesy and T-Mac leave the group, they’ve retired,” he said.

Nar Nar Goon took home the 2024 premiership.

“It’s costly in ways of leadership, those boys were older heads and that’s one thing I will be looking to build on.

“What I’ve seen from the leaders, they’re in good hands, there’s a good mix of leaders there – I am looking forward to training them up in the next three, four, five years.

“There’s two or three who have come back from injury and a couple years off so we’re saying they’re recruits because they’re genuine senior players.”

While Nar Nar Goon won’t have Hughes and McDermott, it will have the Blackwood brothers – Jake and Sam – back in 2025 after a year off.

The Goon have been long rumoured to be adding ex-AFL big man Braydon Preuss.

But, according to Shorey, a rumour is all it is right now.

“At the moment that’s a rumour,” he said.