EFL: Bayswater’s Tom Roach re-signs for two years
EFL Division 1 outfit Bayswater has locked in its coach for the next two seasons, as well as its up-and-coming talent. But a question mark hangs over the club’s seasoned campaigners...
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Re-signed Bayswater coach Tom Roach has backed the club’s youth to take it forward in season 2021, but a question mark remains over retaining its senior personnel.
Roach has put pen to paper for the next two seasons after he led the Division 1 outfit to a finals appearance in his first season at the helm in 2019 with a 9-9 record.
He put his hand up to go around again after the club recently advertised the coaching position as per its constitution, and the two-time Balwyn premiership player said he was “rapt” to be presented with two years.
“I’d only signed a one-year contract at the end of 2019, so I was only contracted for this coming season which didn’t happen,” Roach said.
“When they advertised, I put my hand up again and was really grateful to get the two years – I know where I am for the next couple of years and the club knows where they are for the next two years as well.”
The club has moved to secure its young talent as it prepares for 2021.
“We’ll be shaping up pretty good, we’re just really keen on keeping the majority of the list together,” Roach said.
“It’s really important that you sign the blokes you want taking the club forward.
“We’ve signed a lot of the younger talent which was really important for us … most of the guys that have played any senior footy at a young age, we’ve kept.”
The league’s second tier is expected to have a player payment ceiling of $80,000 from next season – down from $150,000.
But the player payment reduction might come at the cost of some of the club’s senior personnel, who could elect to instead work on Saturdays.
“We might lose a few of the senior guys, I’m not sure whether getting your pay cut in half and most of them being tradies, who could probably earn 500 bucks on a Saturday rather than 200 playing footy,” Roach said.
“I don’t know whether we’ll lose any, but all the young boys will be hanging around as far as I know.
“That’ll keep us right in the hunt for the whole year, because we’re fortunate enough to have some really good young talent.”
Roach believes the cut to the salary cap could make for an even Division 1 competition once again, after just one win separated fourth to seventh position in 2019, and six wins was enough for relegation.
“I expect it (Division 1) to be pretty close again, and I don’t know whether the salary cap halving will make any difference … there’s a couple of clubs that pay right up to ($150,000), and we pretty much paid that. That’ll probably keep it even closer because most clubs will be able to pay that,” he said.
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