EFNL 2023: Brendan Allen appointed South Croydon coach
Many clubs tried – but fell flat – in their bid to secure the services of Brendan Allen, with a call from a Bulldogs great lighting the fire again for the recently-exited Blackburn coach.
Eastern
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HE was out of the game, despite the best attempts of clubs to lure him back.
But former Blackburn mentor Brendan Allen has returned to the coaching arena following his shock exit from Morton Park in September – this time to lead South Croydon.
He replaces Damien Franken, who served as interim coach for the remaining six matches of the Bulldogs’ campaign this year after Marcus Buzaglo stood down from the full-time role in July.
Allen never missed the finals during his six-year stay at Blackburn, with the ex-Sandringham VFL assistant approached by almost 30 clubs in pursuit of his services for next season.
Early overtures from South Croydon even fell flat.
“I had that many clubs asking and everything was ‘No’,” Allen said.
“(South Croydon president Stephen Quon) might have texted me four or five times and had a chat twice, and it (my answer) was ‘No’ and ‘No’.”
But a phone call from former South Croydon captain Daniel King later sparked Allen’s interest.
“I think we were on the phone for about 90 minutes … he explained what was going on, where the list was at and where the club was at and how they’ve been structured the last six or seven years,” Allen said.
“It got me thinking of how I could help and change things a little bit, and I sort of agreed to jump in front of a few of their senior guys.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind – next thing, I’m wearing blue, instead of red.”
Allen’s time at Blackburn came to an end with a year to run on his contract, telling Leader at the time it was “flattening” to step away.
But he said his latest venture has “lit the fire again”.
“We start training next week … I’m excited to be coaching again and it has lit the fire again – it’s a bit of a new challenge,” Allen said.
“Six years is a long time in community coaching, was my time up at ‘Blacky’? Clearly, obviously. But it gives you that reinvigoration to go again.”
South Croydon president Stephen Quon said Allen stood out in a lengthy selection process.
“After taking our time to explore many avenues, we determined that Brendan was the most exceptional candidate meeting every single criteria we were searching for,” he said.
“We are putting no limits on what we can achieve in the future under Brendan.”
The Bulldogs missed the finals this season for the first time since 2016 – posting just five wins from 18 starts.
They narrowly avoided relegation, finishing 10th, losing five matches by a kick or less – and six by under 12 points – amid an injury-riddled campaign.
Conceding the third-most points of the 12-team Premier Division competition this season (1345), behind only relegated pair Park Orchards (1516) and Doncaster (2223), Allen said the Bulldogs’ defence must tighten in their bid to climb the ladder next year.
“You look at their points for and against, and the close games, there’s probably a big emphasis on team defence,” he said.
“It’s one of the hardest things to teach, but it’s one of the first ports of call – they’ve got talent, and the talent hasn’t gone away.
“Their list demographic is pretty good, and the junior program is starting to gain momentum.”
He’ll also look to improve “a little bit around the (Bulldogs’) training structure and the professionalism”.
Allen’s inclusion follows the return of star defenders Chris Jones and James Crowle this off-season.
Jones, an ex-VFL Hawk, is fresh off a 50-game stint with WAFL club Swan Districts after last playing at South Croydon in 2019, while 2017 premiership defender Crowle spent last season at Fairpark in Division 3.
Big-bodied midfielder-forward James Fasan has joined from the Whitehorse Pioneers, where he won the best and fairest and made the Division 3 Team of the Year in 2022 after playing most of his footy with Park Orchards.
The club has also welcomed a swag of emerging talents.
Allen said South Croydon’s “proactive” off-season also helped him across the line.
“They’ve been recruiting in the background and have got a panel set up – if I had to come in and get on the phones now, I probably would have quite happily just stayed on the couch,” Allen said.
“They’ve been proactive.
“It’s an exciting time to pick up the program, to be honest.”
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