MPNFL: Hastings appoints Clint Einsiedel as senior coach
Hastings is set for an injection of pace — it’s just one of many plans new coach Clint Einsiedel has in store for the Blues in season 2021.
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Clint Einsiedel said advice from a rival MPNFL coach persuaded him to apply for the Hastings coaching job.
The 42-year-old former Southern league 300-game player was appointed senior coach of the Blues on Friday — becoming the club’s first non-playing coach since Leigh Carpenter in 2002.
He intends to help the Blues become a fast, well-drilled contender in MPNFL Division 2.
Einsiedel said his close friend, Red Hill premiership coach Jamie Mollo, recommended he go for the Blues’ job.
“Jamie gave Hastings a good push…he just said they’re a good club with a lot of good people there that he knew and he just thought it would be a good job to go for,’’ he said.
“I went for a couple in SFL and inner city but when that came up I thought well, why not? It’s not far from home (Cheltenham), it’s 40 minutes (drive)…they’re mid table and I can see some improvement there as well.’’
Einsiedel is the son of legendary former Caulfield VFA star John, but made his own name in the Southern league.
At the East Brighton Vampires he was a two-time premiership player (2002 and 2004), three-time best and fairest and club captain.
Einsiedel crossed to Heatherton in 2008 as an assistant coach to the legendary John Bennett, and played in a flag there in ’09.
He started his senior coaching career at Springvale Districts in 2010 and had three seasons at the helm — it was a good grounding’’ — before coaching Heatherton for four years.
For the past three seasons Einsiedel has coached Trafalgar in the Mid Gippsland league and took the Bloods to the premiership in 2018.
“I had a ball down there, we had a bit of success,’’ he said.
Wherever Einsiedel has gone, players have followed him.
He has a reputation for fielding fast sides, full of leg speed — a plan he will look to implement on the big ground at Hastings.
“You’ve got to have a game plan to suit the home deck and it’s a big ground so, yeah, definitely looking at injecting more pace into the team if we can,’’ he said.
Einsiedel said retaining the Hastings list was “the key’’ but adding the right recruits was also vital.
“At this stage we’re going to be looking at retaining our list,’’ he said.
“That’s the key to it. There will be a few that aren’t there so there will be a few gaps and then we’ll fill them if we can with the right recruits.
“We’re going to look to go down the junior development path, get some kids in, give them opportunities. If the right blokes bob up you’d be silly not to let them in the door.
“There are a few there in Gippsland that might come down to play, I’ve got to talk to them. So there might be a handful of blokes there, potentially. But at the moment the focus is the guys existing at the club.’’
Hastings said it was “eager to discover a new dynamic’’ by appointing its first non-playing coach in almost two decades.
Einsiedel, who retired as a player in 2016, said a non-playing coach was definitely the way to go.
“I’ve done both and it’s really tough to do the playing-coaching role these days,’’ he said.
“I think playing groups are after a non-playing coach if they’re being honest.
“We’ll be looking to structure up a bit different, have line coaches and get a bit more feedback out to the boys during games.
“John Murphy is going to stay on as senior assistant and we’re going to be talking to a few people internally and externally about line coaching roles.’’
Einsiedel went to school with Rosebud coach Nick Jewell, who gave him a call to wish him well.
“It was great to hear from him,’’ he said.
Einsiedel is well aware of Hastings’ rich history.
“I’ve done a bit of research on them. They are obviously one of the founding clubs of the MPNFL, they’ve been very successful over the years,’’ he said.
“They’ve got good facilities, a massive ground — that’s about all I know at the moment, I haven’t been able to meet anyone which is unfortunate.
“The playing group have been fairly receptive.’’
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