Returning Melton Centrals coach Matt Sproule expects improved results in 2023

Matt Sproule is back at the helm of Melton Centrals and confident of an improved showing in 2023. Plus, his thoughts on facing Dane Swan in Round 1.

Matt Sproule is back at Melton Centrals and ready to lead the club back up the Riddell District ladder.

Sproule stepped away from the Blues job at the end of 2021 due to work commitments but is back in charge after the club quietly parted ways with Mark Pedersen after the summer.

Centrals started the season strongly, coming within a point of Woodend-Hesket and nine points of upsetting Macedon.

However, the club finished the campaign with just four wins, against strugglers Lancefield and Western Rams.

Sproule said the club had taken a gamble taking him back but was adamant it would be more competitive in 2023.

Adam Tomac in action for Melton Centrals. Picture: George Sal

“After five years, even though it was interrupted by COVID, we did a lot of good work and I looked at the second half of last year and felt it had all been undone,” he said.

“I wanted to get back into it to get the club back to where it should be and not where it finished last year. It was a shambles.

“The committee has taken a punt coming back to me because not many people would go back to a coach they’ve had previously.

“We’ll be better than last year … I watched the second half of last year and there were different factors that meant they dropped off

“We’ve had a really good pre-season and there’s some good leadership in there. As a footy club we’re expecting good things going forward but who knows where we’ll finish.”

Melton Centrals has bolstered its line-up with four key recruits.

Brothers Jack and Will Thornton-Gielen arrive from Ballarat league cross-town rivals Melton South, while Dylan Jobson switches from Melton and Jake Armistead returns from time away from the game.

Jake Thornton-Gielen was South’s vice-captain last season and named in the BFL’s top 50 players, while Will was the Panthers’ leading goalkicker with 19 majors.

Dobson, meanwhile, will be add another threat in attack after booting 46 goals for Melton’s reserves last season.

Sproule has been impressed with his team’s pre-season hit outs against Geelong District club Anakie and Tallangatta league outfit Barnawartha.

Centrals will kick off the RDFNL season with a standalone fixture against Western Rams on Saturday.

The Rams will feature Brownlow Medallist and Collingwood great Dane Swan in a one-off appearance and Sproule believes every club should help their league rivals to thrive.

“It’s great the Rams are trying to do something different,” he said.

“Dane Swan has been a legend of AFL footy so it will be great to see him run around but we’ll treat him like any other player.

“If he plays forward we’ll have someone on him and if he plays footy he can run around and get as many kicks as he likes.

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“Even though we’re playing this standalone game, which makes three weeks between this and Round 2 for us, we said no worries.

“We want all teams to be competitive so if this helps Western Rams get more money and more exposure to make their club better then that’s a positive for the competition.

“Hopefully there will be a big crowd out there, a standalone game, and they should make plenty of money.”

The match at Ian Cowie Reserve in Rockbank kicks off at 2pm with a sportsman’s night to follow hosted by Swan and Ricky Nixon.