EDFL: New coach Todd Clark’s plan to lift Oak Park up the ladder

Oak Park qualified for an EDFL Premier Division grand final just eight years ago. But the club will compete in Division 2 next year and has appointed a familar face to the top job.

New Oak Park coach Todd Clark is embarking on his second stint in the top job. Picture: James Ross

New Oak Park Todd Clark coach will take a long-term approach to rebuilding the club as it prepares to compete in Division 2 in 2020.

The Kangaroos qualified for a Premier Division grand final just eight years ago and claimed back-to-back flags in the top flight in 2002 and ’03.

Clark was a member of that all-conquering side, but the glory days are now a distant memory, with Oak Park ending the EDFL Division 1 season with a 1-15 record and relegation to the third tier.

“The results will come our way if we’re doing what we should be and working together,” Clark said.

“You’ve got to think about the initial year, but you’ve also got to look 2-3 years in advance.”

The Kangaroos have not contested finals at senior level in the past three years and have plenty of heavy lifting to do to over summer.

Clark, who replaces Michael Hooper, is embarking on his second stint in the top job at the club, having led it to the Division 1 premiership in 2009.

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Asked for his assessment of Oak Park’s slide, Clark said: “I don’t feel great about it. I think we did the work to get into Premier league.

“I just think the club may have lost its culture a bit and became a bit fragmented.

“That’s something certainly on my agenda, and the club is fully supportive of making sure the communication lines are open.

“They’re all on the same page.”

Clark was previously an assistant coach at VFL club Williamstown under Peter German and Hooper’s right-hand man in 2017.

In positive news, prime movers Daniel Rajab, Jack Pascu and Jack Kennedy have recommitted for next season.

Oak Park star Daniel Rajab gets a kick away. Picture: Jamie Morey

“I reckon the core list is there that we want to hold on to, and then we might just be recruiting around the edges,” Clark said.

“It’s early days, but from my experience at Oak Park, having these discussions now is probably 2-3 months earlier than they’ve been in the past.”

Clark said he watched “half-a-dozen games” this season and conceded there is some uncertainty entering Division 2 as he had never viewed a match at that level.

And while nothing official has been locked in, he is hoping to be calling the shots at Oak Park beyond next year.

“I don’t see it as a one-year job, and the club don’t either,” Clark said.

“I don’t see anything that would stop us from making it more than a one-year deal because we need that consistency.

“I’ve been at Oak Park since I moved to Melbourne (in 1999), and they’ve been great for me.

“They’re at a place we don’t want to be. I thought I had something to offer to help with that.”

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