Southern league: Matt Shorey appointed senior coach of Heatherton

Outgoing president John Bennett says Heatherton’s new senior coach is ‘just what we need at the moment’.

Matt Shorey during his coaching stint at Heatherton.

A recommendation from Nathan Prosser was enough for Matt Shorey.

After Shorey was alerted to the coaching vacancy at Heatherton, he got in touch with Prosser, one of the Tunners’ leading players, who urged him to take the position.

Prosser told Shorey, 39, there was a lot of potential at Ross St Reserve.

The pair had known each other at Kooweerup, where Shorey had coached for four years and Prosser played.

The Tunners announced on Monday that former Hampton Park senior player Shorey would be taking over from Shayne Sheedy.

He’s been given a three-year contract.

“I wouldn’t have gone there without Nathan’s recommendation. He thinks there’s something there,’’ Shorey said last night.

New Heatherton coach Matt Shorey.

“He’s given me an eight-page power point display on things we need to do and things we’re good at.

“They’re good insights to have.’’

With Heatherton staying in Division 2, Shorey will coach against Hampton Park, where he played almost 200 senior games.

He also coached the club in 2016, stepping aside after a tough season. Shorey said at the time that he believed the club was better off in the Southern league; a few years on, the Redbacks are, and so is Shorey.

He first coached at Koo wee, a four-year stop that included the 2014 grand final.

In the past four years he’s been at Nilma Darnum in the Ellinbank and District league. Results weren’t great but Shorey said improvements had been made.

He was happy there but in the end, with his work in the CBD, the travel got to him.

Matt Shorey playing for Hampton Park.

“It was a really good challenge,’’ he said.

“Had a fun time there. We made some inroads without getting the wins. There were things there like numbers at training that needed fixing. This year we beat a finals side. But the drive really got to me in the last six months.’’

Heatherton brings another challenge. It was 2-10 on the ladder with a percentage of 49.07 before Covid ended the season.

Shorey said the club would be recruiting “the right players and the right people’’.

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Heatherton president John Bennett said he was chuffed with the appointment.

“I think he’ll be great for the club; he’s just what we need at the moment, just with his enthusiasm and his knowledge,’’ he said.

“He’s very rounded. He was great in the interview, said how he wanted to build the club and the culture. Very impressive.’’

Southern league hall-of-famer Bennett is standing down after six years as president. He had been vice-president for four years and coached the club for nine years.