Neville Jetta looking forward to challenge to coaching his own team for first time
New Fitzroy Stars coach Neville Jetta will also balance his development role at Collingwood, looking forward to the next step in his coaching journey.
Northern
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Neville Jetta will balance his coaching at Collingwood with leading Fitzroy Stars as the club’s new head coach.
The former Melbourne star remains a development coach for the Magpies but has stepped away from his VFL assistant coaching duties.
After joining the Stars as a player this season, he now takes the reins as coach at Sir Doug Nicholls Oval from club great Lionel Proctor.
Jetta played 15 matches for the Stars, earning NFNL Division 3 Team of the Year honours.
He’ll remain a key part of the playing group as Fitzroy looks to go one better than its grand final appearance this year.
Adding senior coach is a key step his in coaching journey.
“I’ll still be a playing coach, that will be good for me to learn and understand what senior coaching looks like,” Jetta said.
“Those ins and outs and little details that you probably miss as a player, so I’m looking forward to the challenge, and being able to motivate and support players and the community.
“Obviously the season was a good one, although it didn’t finish the way we wanted it to.
“My coaching journey, I’m still full-time at Collingwood but I had to step away from my role as Collingwood VFL assistant coach due to home-life balance taking priority.
“The balance with my role at Collingwood and taking on the job at the Stars suits me in my coaching journey and home life.”
Jetta paid tribute to the work of Proctor in rejuvenating the club.
After a couple of difficult seasons coming out of COVID, including relegation from Division 2, the Stars returned to form in 2024, winning 15 games and the minor premiership.
“Jacko, what he’s done over the last four years coming out of the COVID period, there were a lot of uncontrollables and unknowns,” Jetta said.
“We’re all grateful that he put his hand up and stuck at it to help the club get back to where he wanted to get it back to in terms of buy-in and getting the right people in.
“He’s done a great job and he’ll still be around mentoring and supporting me and probably running around in the reserves but if he’s feeling alright we might drag him back in to play ones.”
Fitzroy has locked in key players Kain Proctor, Jai Burns and Patrick Farrant for next season.
The club made an early splash on the recruiting market too, adding 2019 best-and-fairest winner Ethan Proctor (Tatura) and 204cm ruckman Brock Carter (West Perth).
Jetta has known Penrith since he was 15 and he, in turn, alerted the Stars to Carter’s return to Victoria.
“They’ve both played high-level footy and getting to an age when they understand who they are as players,” Jetta said.
“Moreso, I’m excited to have them around as leaders and great people, you can’t go wrong when you’ve got great people at your club.
“I’ve known Ethan since he was 15 and kept in contact, seen him go through the Bullants program and he went up to Tatura and did a bit of coaching under Paul Barnard.
“He wanted to come back to the Stars, a place where he’s won a best-and-fairest, and he let us known Brock was moving back from Western Australia and wanted to play together.”
The Stars kicked off pre-season training this week.
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Jetta said a number of senior players were ready to go, motivated by the grand final loss.
Moving from teammate to coach will be an adjustment but Jetta was confident the relationships were in place with the playing group.
“There has to be a little difference but I’m going to be myself, the best coaches I’ve seen and been around stay true to themselves,” he said.
“You’ve got to maintain strong relationships but also, at the right time, challenge people, the leaders and the playing group as a whole.”
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