VAFA: Mark Gnatt appointed Old Scotch coach for 2020
After steering Old Scotch’s Under-19 Premier side to a premiership that ended a drought of more than six decades, Mark Gnatt has been promoted to the top job at the VAFA club.
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When Old Scotch looked for a replacement for departing head coach Barry Mitchell, it needed look no further than its own clubrooms.
Fresh from guiding the club’s Under-19 Premier side to a premiership that ended a 67-year drought, Mark Gnatt has been appointed senior coach for 2020.
It’s an exciting time to take the reins after the Cardinals finished runners-up in Premier B and will return to the top flight.
In a season to remember, the club’s seniors reached the grand final, there were premiership wins for the reserves, women and under-19s and a finals berth for the thirds.
Gnatt is confident the club’s strong culture has it set for what could well be a golden era.
“(With) the (under-19) premiership this year and the other four sides all making finals, Tim Shearer (president) has done an enormous job off the field and Peter Simpson has come on board as general manager,” Gnatt said.
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Perhaps the only blip on the radar has been the double-change in the senior coaching position this year.
Barry Mitchell replaced Dale Bower as senior coach after six rounds of the season but he too has departed the club, moving to NFL’s Northcote Park at season’s end.
“The senior coach is the leader of the club and it is important to get solidarity at the top,” Gnatt said.
Gnatt is former player at Old Scotch, joining the club from Box Hill in the VFL in 2000 and playing 84 senior games before knee injury brought a premature end to his playing career.
After a decade away from the game, for business and family time, Gnatt retuned to the club and took over the under-19s.
In 2018, the Cardinals reached the grand final and finished runners-up before winning the flag this season.
The under-19 premiership win ended a flag drought that stretched back to 1952 while the Cardinals have not tasted senior premiership success since 1978.
“We don’t just accept mediocrity,” Gnatt said. “There’s been a lot of talk about the last flag being in 1978, we can talk about it or we can do something about it.
“We’re not about making up the numbers in A section.
“We’ve got to get this group together and build a culture and install a game plan that everyone can buy into.”
With the under-19 premiership win and the club building links with junior football in the area beyond just Scotch College alumni — Gnatt noted the flag-winning side was 55/45 Scotch College students/players from outside the school — the Cardinals are laying a solid foundation for future success.
“We need to build from the bottom,” Gnatt said. “We needed to build depth.
“Love them or hate them Xavier and St Kevin’s, they have really strong depth and they are just round the corner.
In the announcement on the club’s website, Gnatt said: “There is an opportunity to blend the energy of the younger players with the experience of our senior group to deliver a competitive brand in the VAFA Premier section once again. I have strong belief and trust in our playing group — now it’s time to work hard and make it happen as one club.”
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