Mernda searching for new coach after parting ways with Paul Derrick
Former Mernda coach Paul Derrick has had his say on his exit from Waterview Recreation Reserve but remains proud of the way his team finished off the season despite an agonising finals miss.
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Mernda is searching for a new coach after parting ways with Paul Derrick.
After two seasons in charge at the NFL Division 3 club, Derrick and the Demons came to a “mutual agreement” to head in different directions.
The Demons’ narrow finals miss played no part in the decision and Derrick walked away proud of his team’s strong finish to the season.
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“To lose 15 (players) in the off-season was also going to be tough and the first five games showed that,” he said.
“The last part of the year we jelled really well, to win eight of the last 10 was fantastic, sets them up for next year.
“It was disappointing not to play finals but South Morang deserve it after beating Laurimar.
Mernda Football Netball Club would like to thank Paul 'Desi' Derrick for leading the club over the last two seasons and help set the club up for a bright future. pic.twitter.com/S6wPZFCzjt
— MerndaFNC (@MerndaFC) August 20, 2019
Mernda won eight of its last 10 games, knocking off finalists Kilmore and South Morang, but the Lions final-round win over Laurimar sealed a top-four finish.
Derrick said it was disappointing to be moving on but believed the club had a bright future.
“I love the place. It’s disappointing but the club has made their choice, so we accept it,” he said.
“I probably knew four weeks, the club had the way they wanted to do it, that’s the way footy is.
“We were expecting to be at Mernda for a year or two more, we thought we’d done some good ground work, the future’s really bright there.”
Demons football manager Shaun Mills paid tribute to the outgoing coach.
“Desi is a life member, so we were very respectful of his position in the club. He’s still a valued member of the club,” he said.
“He’s a good man, Desi, a quality character and we can’t fault him and his coaching group was fantastic.
“We think we’ve got an exciting future and he helped set that up.”
The club will now begin its search for a new coach confident the job would be attractive to a range of candidates.
“We’ll advertise the position for applications. We had some approaches during the year from people, but we haven’t had formal conversations,” Mills said.
“People have reached out to us from different sections, which means we’re attractive to some out there.”
It has been a tumultuous week for Mernda.
On Saturday, the Demons defeated Old Eltham Collegians but endured a heart-breaking finish when South Morang upset Laurimar to lock in fourth spot.
On Tuesday night, ruckman James Duclos was suspended for 12 weeks at the tribunal, triggering a life ban.
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