Outer East league: Yea appoints experienced mentor

Yea’s new coach has outlined his plans to get the Tigers purring again, including the likelihood of having FIFO players.

New Yea senior coach Brian D'Arcy. Picture: Facebook

There’s so much to achieve at Yea Football Netball Club this year.

And newly appointed coach Brian D’Arcy is ready to get cracking.

As principal of the local school, Yea High, he has a deep sense of community and understands the importance of a vibrant football and netball club.

Yea has battled a bit in recent years; last season the Tigers had to join forces with rival club Broadford to solve the two sides’ player shortage issues in Outer East league.

Six months on, Yea has a new committee, a newfound energy — and D’Arcy.

“It’s a community club,” D’Arcy said.

“The thing that swayed me into getting on board was the fact that if the footy side of the club doesn’t go forward then the netball side falls over as well, it’s a double whammy. I’d hate to think of all the women and girls who have been putting the effort in.

“I think the crucial thing for us this year is to make sure the club continues and we don’t have a quiet 12 months where we don’t build a side.

“And a town the size of Yea should have a football club.

“The facilities are better, you’ve got good lights now, the scoreboard, the change rooms have been developed, so there are lots of positives. We’ve just got to get a playing group back into the place.”

D’Arcy brings a wealth of football knowledge and experience to the position. As a previous assistant coach at Yea, he’s also coached in the Premier League for women and in the VWFL for five years, coaching many past and present AFLW players.

D’Arcy said the Tigers’ priority was to get players back.

“Because we’re in January we haven’t had any sort of effort to try and chase players or look at our current list and shore it up,’’ he said.

“So that’s my job for the next couple of weeks, to get in contact with every player and let them know where I stand and hopefully we get a few back that have drifted and then we can have at least a half competitive side when we run out for round one.”

Lalor ruckman Blake Seeley (left).

Adrian McCarthy has returned to Yea. Picture: Facebook

Already, Yea has secured recruits, with Lalor best and fairest ruckman Blake Seeley and Seville midfielder Steve Cromarty signing and Adrian McCarthy returning.

D’Arcy said part of his recruiting strategy would be to encourage existing players to get their mates to play.

“You’ve got to go to the players who will encourage others to come in,’’ he said.

“The team will have to have some FIFO players in it, there’s no doubt. We are going to need to get some players from other clubs.

“We’ve got two or three at the moment we’re looking at.”

And, of course, D’Arcy will use his connection with the local high school to recruit.

“There are one or two teachers I’ve employed this year that I’ve found out that they play footy so their continued employment at our school is at risk if they don’t strap the boots on,’’ he joked.

Recruit Steve Cromarty. Picture: Facebook

New club president Peter Armstrong said D’Arcy was the right man to steer the ship.

“He’ll be good, he’s done a fair bit of coaching before,’’ he said.

“It took a bit longer than we hoped but now we’ve got Brian on board hopefully we can start getting some of our players back that have gone elsewhere in the last year or so.

“We’ve been talking to them the whole time but it’s always been the same question, who’s coaching?

“So we’ve ticked that box and can concentrate on a few other things.”