MPNFL: Somerville appoints experienced coach Brad Canavan as Andrejs Everitt’s replacement

NEW Somerville coach Brad Canavan says the Eagles players will be prepared to play finals footy right from the first training session on December 1.

Brad Canavan calling the shots as coach of Chelsea Heights in the Southern FNL Division 2 grand final in 2017. Canavan will coach Somerville in 2019. Picture: Chris Eastman

NEW Somerville coach Brad Canavan says the Eagles players will be prepared to play finals footy right from the first training session on December 1.

Canavan has spent the past four seasons at Chelsea Heights, which he guided to the Division 2 SFNL premiership in 2017.

He’d previously coached Bentleigh to a flag in 2013 and also Keysborough and been an assistant and reserves coach at VFL club Frankston.

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Canavan’s CV also includes stints as chairman of selectors at Bonbeach, reserves coach of Edithvale-Aspendale and development work with Dandenong Stingrays junior squads.

He says taking the reins at Somerville, which last won a senior premiership in 1986, was an exciting prospect.

“One of the boys asked me, ‘why Somerville?’ and I said it’s been a club that has been quite well known over the past decade or so as having good Under 19s and I’ve always wondered why they haven’t been able to transfer it into more success,’’ Canavan said.

Chelsea Height coach Brad Canavan this season.

“For me that’s quite appealing I guess as a coach and a teacher, to be able to see if I can bring that all together and set the club up for some long-term success. I know that’s what the new committee is after and we’re all on the same page.’’

Canavan says Somerville has the talent and potential to “make the jump pretty quickly’’.

He has already told the players to be ready to go when pre-season training kicks off on December 1.

“I said to the boys our sessions are going to be really intense. There’s no cruising in and December 1 is not going to be fun and games, we’re going to be coached and trained to play finals footy,’’ he said.

Somerville president Kris Fawcett said Canavan was a stand-out applicant for the coaching job.

“We interviewed him a couple of times and have been speaking to him over the past couple of weeks, been out and watched him in action and, yeah, he’s definitely the man for us,’’ he said.

“His reputation...we did a lot of homework on him, and everyone speaks highly of him. And he’s communication has been excellent, even since day one he’s contacted all the players already, he’s got plans in place to kick off. We’re pretty excited actually.’’