Lalor has secured club legend Lance Whitnall as coach for 2024
Northern club Lalor has secured club legend and ex-AFL great Lance Whitnall as coach for 2024 as the Bloods look to turn their fortunes around.
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Lalor has secured a club legend to help drive the Northern league struggler’s revival.
Lance Whitnall will return to Sydney Crescent in 2024 as coach, in a massive boost to the club’s on and off-field ambitions.
It’s hoped the former Carlton captain and best-and-fairest winner and Lalor junior can attract new players and help make the club competitive again.
After retiring from the AFL, Whitnall played two seniors with the Bloods in 2008-09 when the club was still NFNL in Division 1.
He turned to coaching at Glenroy and then won an Essendon District Division 1 premiership with Craigieburn in 2019 before stepping away from coaching after the 2021 season.
Lalor will also have a whole new committee next year as it looks to start fresh.
Incoming Bloods president Wayne Hutson played junior football at Lalor with Whitnall and was rapt to have him back.
“We played juniors together and won a junior premiership together,” Hutson said.
“I sat down with him about six weeks ago and explained the club isn’t in the best position as it could be and we need a big name like himself to try and attract some players and people back to the club.
“Obviously it’s a big job when you’ve one game in three years in the lowest division but in the end he decided to take on the role and hopefully there’s exciting times to come.”
Whitnall takes the reins from Angelo Lamanna, who led the Bloods for two winless seasons.
The 2000 All-Australian will be charged with turning Lalor’s on-field fortunes around.
The Bloods are currently on a 42-game losing streak and suffered a demoralising 311-point defeat to Division 3 ladder-leader Mernda on Saturday.
However, there has been positive signs this season, coming close to wins over Reservoir and Fitzroy Stars.
If Whitnall and the new committee can bring in new players then hopes are high the club can begin to rebuild.
“We’ve recruited a few players and Lance said he’s going to bring a good group of players with him, which is a bit of a positive,” Hutson said.
“He’s obviously well known and respected, he coached at Glenroy and Craigieburn when he finished playing, he’s still got connections.
“It’s all positive so far, I’ve been getting messages of mates that have heard the news and people around the footy are all excited to see Lalor try and get off their knees.
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“We’ll have a new president, vice-president, deputy, basically every role will be new.
“We’re rebooting, that’s nothing against the old committee, but we’re looking to start fresh and start again.
“The people that have kept the club alive for the last four or five years, it’s been hard, but if we can get through this year we can reboot and start again.”
Lalor hosts Heidelberg West in the final game of the home-and-away season on Saturday.
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