Panton Hill appoint Simon Amore as senior coach, replacing Steve Layt
Panton Hill has entrusted its Division 2 return to first-time senior coach Simon Amore, with the former Greensborough assistant ready to fight for more than survival in 2020.
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Simon Amore has no doubt he’s ready for his first senior coaching role and Panton Hill was the perfect place to start.
Amore has served a distinguished apprenticeship having coached Heidelberg’s reserves to a premiership in 2016 and as an assistant coach at Greensborough the past two seasons.
The new mentor also has experience at Cracknell Reserve having spent three years at Panton Hill as a player, winning the 2013 NFL Division 3 premiership.
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“Having a connection with the club, it was very appealing for me,” he said.
“I felt like I’d done a good apprenticeship, so I’m excited to get to work and see what we can do next year.
“I had a good look at the list and I think there’s a lot to work with there, which is exciting.”
After a dominant season, the Redbacks powered to the Division 3 premiership and promotion, securing a return to Division 2 for the first time since 2017.
Panton Hill lost just two games for the season and saw Scott Conte finish second in the league best-and-fairest count, Rhys Boyden and Matt finish one-two in the league goalkicking and Conte, Byron, Boyden, Brent Ryan, Mitch Anderson and Tim Duckworth named in the Team of the Year.
Amore believed the club was capable of contending for more than survival in 2020.
“It won’t be an easy jump, it never is from one division to the next, so there’s a level we have to get to and improvement we’ll need to make across the board — coaches included,” he said.
“I think the club and myself are on the same page, we don’t want to go to second division to just make up the numbers.
“We’re not going to cap (expectations) either, we’re going to push and do everything we can to cement ourselves.”
The Redbacks has secured the bulk of its premiership-winning squad and Amore didn’t believe the club required any major recruiting improvements.
“I’m still finding my feet, player retention at the Hill is the priority,” he said.
“I don’t think there’s any glaring areas for Panton Hill, maybe just some extra depth.”
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