Local footy: Heath Scotland to coach WRFL club Sunshine in 2021
A top-flight club has made a high-profile coaching appointment for 2021, appointing a man fresh out of the AFL system as it looks to climb the ladder.
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Heath Scotland has landed in the Western Region Football League.
The former Carlton and Collingwood midfielder is the latest ex-AFL player to join the competition’s coaching ranks after putting pen to paper with Sunshine.
Scotland’s arrival is a major coup for the Division 1 outfit, with the 268-gamer and Blues best-and-fairest winner fresh out of the AFL system.
The 40-year-old was let go by North Melbourne earlier this month after a 12-month stint as a development coach, a victim of the coronavirus pandemic.
Scotland, who has replaced Adam Contessa in the top job, is a proven coach at local level.
He steered Ballarat league outfit and junior club Darley to finals in each of his three seasons at the helm and led it to a premiership in his first year in 2017.
Scotland also had two seasons at Eastern league side Doncaster after retiring from the elite level in 2014.
Former AFL players Michael Barlow (Yarraville-Seddon), Steve Kretiuk (Hoppers Crossing), Sam Butler (St Albans) and Brodie Holland (Caroline Springs) will also be calling the shots in the top flight in 2021.
“We’re super excited,” Sunshine president Xavier Hayes said.
“We’ve been through a lengthy process and the plan from the beginning was to make sure we get the right person, an experienced person.
“He just really wanted to come back to a local club and make a difference.
“It’s going to be hard work over the next few years and he really wanted to get his hands dirty. He said he was up for the challenge and he’s just excited.”
The Kangaroos 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 left the top job in 2018.
Hayes said Scotland was attracted to Sunshine’s youth as clubs prepare for a reduced salary cap of $100,000 next season, which will increase the reliance on homegrown talent.
“Our list is really young and we’ve got a lot of guys 22 and under,” he said.
“They’re all keen to stay and he was excited about the prospect of making them better footballers.”
Hayes acknowledged the club’s players endured a long wait to find out who would be Contessa’s successor after the ex-Bulldog stepped down in August.
But he said the Kangaroos were confident of retaining the bulk of their list before turning their attention to recruiting.
They were hopeful of improvement this year after securing ex-Carlton player Ryan Jackson and former Geelong rookie Jock Cornell before the 2020 campaign was canned.
Sunshine has finished sixth and eighth since its grand final appearance.
“I think a decision like this might put a positive vibe and positive spin on everything,” Hayes said.
The Kangaroos are also optimistic Scotland could help attract key recruits in coming months as they look to climb the ladder.
“You’d think with a name like that, he would have probably spoken to some people,” Hayes said.
“Even just the name, it would be a bit of an attraction to come to Sunshine. That’s what you hope for, but first and foremost he’s happy to work with the list he’s got and go from there.
“I think where some clubs go wrong is where you go out and try and recruit these big stars.
“From the start, Heath said, ‘I want people at the club who want to be there.’ If we do get people, we’re going to get the right people in.”
Scotland’s appointment means all Division 1 clubs have locked in their coaches for next season.
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