Former Carlton and North Melbourne star Jarrad Waite on plans to rebuild his junior club Benalla as coach

This country club was on the verge of collapse, and coach Jarrad Waite is using all his connections to help his hometown side get better. But he is determined to build the club from the ground up.

Jarrad Waite is coaching at Benalla in the Goulburn Valley league. Picture: AAP Image/Julian Smith

Jarrad Waite has brought 244 games of experience in his first year as coach of his hometown club Benalla, and he is aiming to add more for his second season.

The former Carlton and North Melbourne spearhead is trying to use his connections in the football industry to secure some boom recruits for the Saints.

But his remarkable longevity across his 17 year AFL career has worked against him.

“I was fortunate enough to play for a bit longer than most so when I came out, everyone was sort of finishing up as well,” Waite said.

Waite, 41, has put the feelers out with a few ex-teammates, including recently retired key forward Levi Casboult.

But he hasn’t anything back from the bustling key forward just yet.

For Benalla, one former Blue stands out above the rest: Saints junior Caleb Marchbank, who was delisted in September after 10 years in the system.

Waite has no overlap with Marchbank – Waite left Carlton at the end of 2014 and Marchbank joined in 2017 – but he has reached out to former GWS and Blues defender.

Caleb Marchbank is among the players Jarrad Waite has reached out to. Picture: Michael Klein

“He is an outstanding talent who has been struck down by injury,” Waite said.

“We’ve reached out to him and basically said if you are no longer pursuing AFL and want to come back we are definitely open to a conversation, but at the moment we are just letting him do his own thing.

“We’ve touched base with him and hopefully for his sake he gets another crack at the AFL.”

While he keen to sign some experienced recruits, Waite’s biggest priority has been trying to improve the fortunes of Benalla from the ground up.

Benalla was on the verge of collapse ahead of the 2022 season due to dwindling numbers and has won 10 games in the past three Goulburn Valley league seasons.

The Saints managed four wins and a draw this season, but things are turning around more than that record suggests.

And they have secured a handy addition in Gold Coast Suns Academy graduate Nathan Wright.

“We are coming from a bit further back, a couple of years ago we were close to going into recession,” Waite said.

“We are working really hard on our junior program and getting that up and going. Took some really good steps this year, not so much on the win-loss, but players responded really well.

“Got a young group coming through that we are excited to see what they can produce after a few of them played a lot of games last year and they’ll be better for that.

“We are trying to add a couple of those mid-25 to 30 year olds, a bit more seniority and we are also trying to add a few players to be a successful club.

“We haven’t won a lot of games in the last few years so it’d be good to get a bit of a winning culture back again.”

Youngsters like winger Tyler McGregor, running defender Jakob Decker and midfielder Sam Begley showed this year there is plenty to look forward to in the future.

Ruckman Mark Marriot, 24, finished in the top five in the league best and fairest and came through Saints’ junior program.

Then there is another Benalla junior in crafty small forward Joe Berry, who is set to have his name called in the first round of the 2024 AFL Draft.

But Berry also represents one of the problems Benalla has faced, given the goalkicker joined Wangaratta Magpies in the Ovens and Murray in 2023.

It is another reason why Benalla is placing importance on improving its junior program.

Joe Berry in action for Vic Country at the national championships. Picture: Chris Hyde/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

“We gone into the Wangaratta junior competition and those guys have got exposure to our kids now. We’ve lost quite a few kids to Wangaratta clubs,” Benalla football manager Ricky Symes said.

“We work very hard and we work in strengthening or programs and our junior stuff to try and ensure we develop our players and also show their parents and show the kids we are serious about developing them and trying to keep them at Benalla.

“For us to be successful and have sustained success, we need at least two thirds of our side or more to be local talent.

“That’s been the club and Waitey’s focus is to build that really strong base, and we’ve now got 40-50 games into some of these kids and they’re going to be good players.”

COACHING FUTURE

While the wins were few and far between, Waite thoroughly enjoyed his first season at the helm and learnt a lot.

He has also clocked up plenty of kilometres commuting from Keilor in western Melbourne.

Waite wouldn’t rule out the possibility of rejoining the AFL ranks as a coach in the future, but it is still early days and he is content at the Saints for the moment.

Jarrad Waite in action for St Kevin's Old Boys in 2019.

“Definitely willing and open to opportunities moving forward and I think that’s why Benalla worked. It is a club that I’m familiar with, home club, and I know there is people there that are going to support me but also got a good friend base that if things aren’t working, they are going to tell me,” Waite said.

“Which was really important to me because it is my first year of coaching, done a bit of assistant coaching but nothing really.

“Trying to surround myself with people that have coached for a while and learn off them as well.”

He has also ventured into the junior development space, launching his a ‘Elevated Player Performance’ program, allowing players to improve facets of their game in match play scenarios.

“It mainly concentrates on pretty much everything I have learnt from 17 years of AFL and then incorporating it into drills but in groups of eight and up to 14.

“Dipping my toe into a bit of development stuff which I really enjoy, bit going on but all enjoyable.”