EDFL: Northern Saints lock in Brett Kennerley as coach for 2019

Northern Saints will be hoping to put issues off the ground behind it after installing a new-look committee and new coach.

New Northern Saints coach Brett Kennerley with president Joe Antonetti. Picture: Supplied

NORTHERN Saints have produced two strong seasons on the field, advancing to consecutive preliminary finals in the Essendon District Football League.

But the Division 2 club is hoping to put issues off the ground behind it after installing a new-look committee, led by energetic president Joe Antonetti.

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Brett Kennerley has taken over as coach, replacing Paul Dunn, who was sacked after one season at the helm.

Kennerley has steered North Sunshine in the Western Region league for the past two seasons, led Avondale Heights’ under-19s and also spent a decade in North Queensland as a president and coach of multiple teams.

The Saints are confident he is the right man to lead them to success and the 44-year-old praised his new club’s committee for its “positive and forward-thinking approach”.

Brett Kennerley calls the shots during his time at North Sunshine. Picture: Valeriu Campan

“They weren’t thinking about what happens next year or what has happened this year, it was all about how we’re going to get to where we want to in the next two, three, four years and what do we look like in 10 years’ time? They’re putting a lot of thought into that,” Kennerley said.

Northern Saints finished minor premier this year before being eliminated from the flag race in straight sets in a calamitous finals series.

Kennerley said he had poured over vision from this season, including the finals, and identified several issues.

He said he was hoping to establish “a player-driven culture” while offering the necessary support.

“I’m very mindful that I don’t want to walk in and pull the whole place apart. It’s not that it’s broken, there’s some things that need a little bit of tightening,” Kennerley said.

“I have a very disciplined approach to everything I do. I’m a pretty open book and communicate well. So from my perspective back to the players, it’s going to be a case of opening up those lines of communication and getting to know those guys a lot better and trying to make sure there’s a good conduit between the club and the admin and back to the playing group.

“That’s not to detract from the guys who have been there before me, but it’s the way I like to operate.”

Kennerley also cited the Saints’ impressive stable of youth, with their under-19.5s team qualifying for his year’s grand final.

“If we invest ourselves into those kids, then long-term, sustained success can be available,” he said.

“I’d like to look at trying to bring the kids on and we’ll do a fair bit of that this year … that’s not to detract from the older guys who have done the work … but we’ll try and spend more time with these young kids and giving them the opportunity.”

The Saints are working hard to bolster their list as they chase promotion to the second tier.

Ahmed Abdul-Wahed has departed Northern Saints. Picture: Hamish Blair

Ahmed Abdul-Wahed, who has crossed to Westmeadows, is the only confirmed departure of note.

“We’ve also identified a fairly large amount of guys from outside the club, and that’s coupled with returning players and guys from other leagues,” Kennerley said.

“We’re pretty deep into conversations with those guys. We’re not particularly looking at positions as much as trying to build the list that we think is going to get us some success long-term in Division 1 and hopefully Premier Division one day.”