NFL 2018: Christian Stagliano appointed new coach at Macleod in Northern Football League
MACLEOD has named the man to replace Garry Ramsay after he and the club parted ways at the end of the season.
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THEY are big shoes to fill.
But Macleod is confident it has found the right man to replace Garry Ramsay, the coach who led the club to its first Division 1 premiership in 44 years.
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Christian Stagliano has been unveiled as Ramsay’s replacement after he parted way with the Roos at the end of the Northern Football League season.
Ramsay was last week unveiled as Montmorency’s new coach.
Stagliano has served as a development coach at Collingwood and was at Gold Coast in a coaching innovation position under Rodney Eade.
He had previously coached Banyule when the Bears were in the VAFA in the late 2000s.
“I live in the area and was familiar with the fact they’ve put a real strong emphasis as a club on their junior program,” Stagliano said.
“A lot of the players there have come through the junior ranks and have developed internally.
“That model and that process really appealed to me.
“Obviously they’ve been quite successful in games they’ve won over the last four, five years and they seem to be quite a tight group in that there hasn’t been a lot of comings and goings.
“Those three things were really appealing.”
Macleod has made the past four grand finals but have lost the past three deciders by a combined 28 points.
Stagliano said improving talent from his development background in the AFL system was his biggest strength.
“Also relationships and people, I think that’s really important,” he said.
“I’ve got a teaching background so the way you’re communicating the message and ability to teach and form genuine partnerships and relationships with people is going to be a really important part of the way I want to go about it.”
Macleod president Steve Doherty said Stagliano’s ability to develop from within was a key reason for the appointment.
“We are a development club, we don’t really recruit as such, we recruit from our juniors in to our seniors,” Doherty said.
“It was something like 15 players on grand final day had played football at the junior club.
“He saw it as an opportunity as a club that looked at development as being one of the main processes as to where we are currently at.
“He knew that’s the sort of coach he was and he also saw we’re playing at the highest level and we’re achieving at the highest level.
“He has seen that as a challenge, one to keep us there and obviously make a difference in going one further and getting a premiership or two.”
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