EFL: Balwyn premiership star Ben Wise appointed Rowville coach
EFL Premier club Rowville has appointed its new senior coach, and he’s no stranger to success in the league’s top tier. The new mentor outlines why the list he’s inheriting is an exciting prospect.
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Eastern Premier club Rowville has appointed its new senior coach, with a Balwyn premiership star set to lead in 2021.
The Hawks have instilled Ben Wise as their new mentor, who takes over from outgoing coach John Brown who stood down from the role in August.
Wise is no stranger to top-flight footy in the EFL, having played across East Burwood and Balwyn, featuring in the Tigers’ 2008 premiership side. He finished up at Balwyn in 2016 and headed to Kilcunda-Bass for a season before landing at Seebeck Oval as senior assistant to Brown from 2018.
Wise said he was looking forward to taking on the challenge of the main role and said the transition would be eased by his deep knowledge of the playing group.
“They’ve had such a strong junior program for a long time now and knowing the list and being there for three years, it’d be an easy transition for me but also it’s a group that I know inside and out that I’m really happy to grow and develop even further,” Wise said.
“I’m really excited to get the job and I can’t wait to get stuck into it, but my hands are tied at the minute not knowing when we can get stuck into pre-season.”
Wise pointed to the long line of distinguished mentors he played under during his career and said his time as an assistant at Kilcunda-Bass in 2017 helped feed aspirations to become a senior coach.
“I do love footy and I analyse the game – I went down to Kilcunda after my time at Balwyn to get a taste of country footy but also to see if I really had the passion to drive people,” Wise said.
“Going down there gave me a good insight of how to motivate and it sort of did point me in the direction that maybe I did want to get into coaching.
“I like working with people that want to be better.
“Coming out of Balwyn and even before that at East Burwood … I’ve been fortunate that I’ve had some great coaches – Micky McGuane, Harford, Donati, Broderick, Richardson, Barwick.”
The new Hawks mentor paid tribute to the outgoing Brown, who led the club to two finals appearances.
“It’s a pretty good transition on the back of ‘Browny’ having to step away which was unfortunate but I suppose with that sort of circumstance comes opportunity,” Wise said.
“We’re obviously pretty close and I’ll continue to use him if I need any guidance – he’s been a great help with my transition.”
Wise said about “95 per cent” of the list is set to be retained at this stage, having recently seen the departure of veteran Ziggy Alwan who has returned to Noble Park, while a number of the prospective VFL talent are awaiting clarity around state league list sizes.
The club’s 2020 list boasted a host of VFL-listed names including Nathan Wright (Sandringham), Liam Mackie, Trent Mynott, Anthony Brolic and Chayce Black (Box Hill), Bailey Lambert (Frankston) and Nick Lowden and Kyle Stainthorpe (Casey).
Rowville has posted two consecutive fourth-placed finishes on the Premier Division ladder which Wise believes has set the foundations for 2021.
“With most of the list getting exposed to finals and falling short – they now have an understanding of what’s expected, what it takes to compete at that level,” Wise said.
“Towards the back-end (of the season) you can sort of lose form and tire a little bit … but I think another year under the belt and obviously a year off and they sort of know what to expect now.
“For me it’s a clean slate, I reckon we’re going to be a completely different side in terms of a couple of the older guys have moved on and it’s going to create opportunities for the younger guys to come through.”