Murrumbeena coach Paul Howroyd steps aside
The decorated Southern league coach says it’s time for him to make a fresh start — and he’s seeing the game ‘as well as I’ve ever seen it’.
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“Howdy’’ is saying his farewells at Murrumbeena.
Respect senior coach Paul Howroyd has stood down from the Lions, saying the time is right for him to make a “new start’’.
This would have been his third season at the Beena Arena.
His previous two produced home-and-away records of 16-2 and 15-3, but only one finals victory.
“Just need to freshen up, find a new start,’’ Howroyd, 51, said this afternoon.
“I still want to coach. I’ve still got as lot to offer: enthusiasm, energy, knowledge. I think I’m seeing the game as well as I’ve ever seen it.’’
He said he didn’t achieve with the Lions what he thought they were capable of, “but it probably became a longer-term project in terms of stability’’.
“There were probably 10 one-point players who left this year for various reasons. Depth may have been a struggle.
“In saying that I was still getting calls from players to come to the club out of the blue. Who knows how the team would have looked.’’
Lions president Kerry Thornhill said Howroyd had been a “dedicated, committed and strong leader of men who demand effort and grit amongst the playing group’’.
“It’s not just rocking up on a Saturday to stand in the coach’s box and holler across the ground and direct players,’’ she said.
“Behind the scenes are planned training sessions, game day strategy, reaching out to players and ensuring their well being, be it mental or physical, is intact, answering to footy ops, players, committee and club supporters with that one common goal – the win.’’
Howroyd played senior football at Chelsea and St Paul’s before embarking on coaching.
He made his start at Sandringham VFL reserves and was also a senior assistant to Mark Williams in the 2006-07 premiership years.
Crossing to St Paul’s in 2009, his five years with the Doggies produced flags in 2011 and ’13 and the Southern region coach-of-the-year mantle in 2012.
Howroyd went to Chelsea in 2014 and to Upwey-Tecoma in 2015-16.
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