Local footy: Adam Contessa steps down as Sunshine WRFL coach
Sunshine is the latest Western Region Football League club searching for a new coach for 2021.
Local Footy
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local Footy. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Sunshine is searching for a new coach after Adam Contessa’s decision to step aside because of work commitments.
The former Western Bulldogs player took charge of a new-look Kangaroos outfit in 2019 as they finished eighth on the Western Region Football League Division 1 ladder with four wins.
But Contessa did not get the opportunity to complete a second season at the helm, with the campaign canned amid the coronavirus crisis.
“He built something … and this year was a chance to put the players on the park, but unfortunately he didn’t get his chance,” Sunshine president Xavier Hayes said.
“He’s just started a new job.
“With senior coaching, you need to put in 100 per cent and he just said he wouldn’t be able to put in the time that’s required.
“So unfortunately he’s stepped down.”
Hayes said Sunshine was hopeful of improvement this year after securing ex-Carlton player Ryan Jackson and former Geelong rookie Jock Cornell over the off-season.
The club qualified for the decider in 2017, coming up short by three points to powerhouse Deer Park, but have waved goodbye to several key players since Brendan Hallinan departed the top job in 2018.
The Kangaroos are in a rebuilding phase with a young playing group, but Hayes said he was confident the bulk of the senior squad would stay put.
Top-flight clubs in most competitions across the state will have $100,000 to spend on players in 2021.
“There’s always those fears (players will depart), but I guess everyone at the club is pretty happy at the club,” he said.
“When Brendan Hallinan was there, we got to a grand final, and then two years later players leave as well. In this day and age, it’s just part and parcel of Division 1 football where the coach leaves and players leave.
“Bringing in a new coach, it brings the opportunity to bring some new players in, but that’s quite hard as well now with the (reduced) salary cap and the (player) points.
“We had set ourselves up for a positive year (in 2020).
“It’s not re-starting again because I can’t imagine anyone would want to leave. I think the platform’s already there.”
The Kangaroos will launch their search for a new coach immediately.
Division 1 rival Yarraville-Seddon has appointed ex-AFL midfielder Michael Barlow as coach for the next two years, while Mark McGoldrick is embarking on his third stint at Deer Park.
“You’ve got to move pretty quickly,” Hayes said.
“But it’s something you don’t want to rush. You’ve got to make sure the right person is in the job.”
MORE LEADER LOCAL FOOTY NEWS
WHY BARLOW IS THE PERFECT FIT FOR YARRAVILLE-SEDDON
WYNDHAMVALE APPOINTS NEW COACH FOR TWO YEARS
EX-AFL MIDFIELDER LANDS COACHING JOB AT WRFL CLUB
DEER PARK LOCKS IN NEW COACH FOR 2021
HOW THE WRFL’S OLDEST CLUB PLANS TO BECOME GREAT AGAIN
THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE WRFL
AFL PREMIERSHIP STAR ADDRESSES HIS PLAYING FUTURE
WE RANK THE BEST 20 PLAYERS TO COME OUT OF WESTERN JETS