Old Yarra Cobras announce Nathan Monaco as inaugural coach

The latest merger club in the VAFA have announced a local as their inaugural coach, who will aim to “create a culture” so they can be a “successful team quickly.”

Newly formed VAFA club Old Yarra Cobras have announced Nathan Monaco as their inaugural senior coach, who will be aiming to lead his side “up the grades quickly”.

Monaco is excited to join the club having grown up in the area and kept an eye on Yarra Old Grammarians and Manningham Cobras before they merged at the end of last season.

The 34-year-old coached at Kew for the last five years, beginning as reserve coach in 2017 where he won a flag in 2019 before moving into a senior assistant coaching role under former AFL footballer Ian Aitken.

Monaco said he would look to inject what he has learnt from the reigning division one finalists.

“Things that I have helped implement over the years there (Kew), I will be looking to bring across with me and start shaping how we want to be as a club,” Monaco said.

“We want to be a successful team going up the grades quickly so straight away, getting the right culture and making sure the players are buying in are probably the main things we want to do at this stage.”

Old Yarra Cobras inaugural coach Nathan Monaco. (Picture: Supplied)

Monaco admired the drive he has seen from both clubs as they amalgamate as one heading in season 2023 after both were separately in same division two competition last season.

“So far from talking to the squad, we have already been doing optional sessions for the last three weeks and blokes are just passionate and hungry and want to be coached,” he said.

“What we have bonded by quickly is how hungry we are to make sure we turn around the lack of success both clubs have in the last few years.

“There are no egos and nothing there to get in our way.

“Everyone is on the same page with what we want to achieve and how we are going to go about it.”

Monaco pulled on the Bulleen Templestowe jumper for the majority of his senior footy winning premierships in 2008 and 2012 before injuries stopped him from playing.

He recovered and resumed his career with Kew in 2015 which turned out to be his last season of footy before transitioning to coaching at the club.

Monaco said the Cobras have done “really well” in maintaining the existing personnel while also engaging with new players from Yarra Valley Grammar which was a club priority.

“We want to create a culture where the young kids that are coming through want to hang around and play for their old school,” he said.

“Talking to the other clubs at the higher grades who have had success having an affiliation at the schools, it’s really important to make it comfortable for the younger kids to come through and make it a place that they want to be at.

“At the end of the day they’re doing it for the love of the game and we want to make it enjoyable as possible for them while developing their football.”

Monaco said the culture of both the Cobras and Yarra powering together was “going to be something that benefits the club straight away.”