EFL: Coldstream coach Chad Rogers outlines why his group is ready to take next step
Following a straight-sets exit from last year’s Division 4 finals, re-signed Coldstream coach Chad Rogers explains why his group is ready to take the next step and seize its opportunity in 2021.
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Eastern Division 4 club Coldstream has turned its attention to planning for an assault on 2021, following senior coach Chad Rogers’ re-signing.
Rogers has steered the club for the past two seasons, with a finals appearance last year following a second-placed finish to the home-and-away season with a 13-3 record.
But a straight-sets exit from the finals has Rogers eyeing redemption on next year’s Division 4 competition.
“We won 10-straight going into that finals series, and I think we ran out of puff with a younger list, really,” Rogers said.
“They did everything they could to get that second spot, and then just unfortunately hit a wall come finals and played against two very good sides and weren’t really up to it.
“We understood we had to get some mature people in and help with the young list developing as they were. We’re in a very good position going forward.”
The Cougars were heavy recruiters in the 2019 off-season, luring former Mitcham and Phillip Island premiership pair Jarrod Witnish and Leigh Warne, 2019 Surrey Park best and fairest Damien Frisina with ruckman Jesse Lehmann, and Lachie Koger from Division 1 club, Lilydale. Mitchell Shanks (Wandin) and Sheldon Smith (Bayswater) rounded out the fruitful off-season.
Rogers said his club’s next step now is to “consolidate what we have” for 2021, as it prepares for the Division 4 salary cap set to be slashed from $70,000 to $50,000.
While players already took pay cuts to accommodate the new recruits, the premiership coach downplayed the impact of the player payment reduction on his club.
“In terms of management, we talked about whatever it is, obviously it would be a percentage of what they were going to be paid this year,” Rogers said.
“Nothing really changes, it’s just a percentage difference, that’s all.”
Coldstream last tasted premiership success in 2001 and Rogers said his group was well-aware of seizing its opportunities when it returns to the field, expecting a hot Division 4 race in 2021.
“You really don’t know what everyone else is doing, I know Silvan will be strong, they always recruit well as well – I expect Surrey Park to keep improving and all the teams around there,” Rogers said.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen in the future so you plan to be the best you can and make sure you make the most of what you’ve got.
“That’s what we’ve been trying to instil in these guys – it (a premiership) doesn’t happen very often and you’ve got to make the most of your chances.
“The list is in a good spot, as long as those guys keep pushing each other and developing, they’ll take the right step forward.”
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