What Calder Cannons coach Andrew Sturgess is looking forward to most

New Calder Cannons coach Andrew Sturgess says it was an opportunity too good to miss. What has him so excited about the NAB League job?

New Calder Cannons coach Andrew Sturgess. Picture: Andy Brownbill

It was an opportunity too good to miss.

For new Calder Cannons coach Andrew Sturgess leaving “my club” Coburg was a difficult choice but the chance to mould the next generation of AFL footballers was an exciting step forward.

“Leaving a club like Coburg, where I’m emotionally invested – that’s my club, I played there, was assistant coach and progressed to senior coach and formed relationships beyond football – really tore at me,” he said.

“It all came about pretty quickly and certainly wasn’t anything I was searching for but the opportunity to go full-time in footy and progress my career and support my family was a no-brainer.

“I spoke to (Coburg GM) Seb (Spagnuolo) and if it wasn’t for his encouragement I probably would have stayed at Coburg.

“His support and other people at Coburg, as well as people at the AFL – you know, Grant Williams rang Coburg to say thank you, and sorry.”

Sturgess played TAC Cup in his younger days, representing Northern Knights, and is looking forward to stepping back into the elite talent pathway, this time as a coach.

Having led VFL club Coburg, he sees parallels with the NAB League – ambitious footballers trying to make it to the AFL level, learning how to be professional and developing as people.

It’s perhaps his biggest drive as a coach, to help people be better off the field as well as on it.

Unlike the VFL, winning isn’t necessarily everything in the under-19s competition, with player development a driving force.

“The biggest eye-opener for me, my last involvement in junior football was when I played it, that was at 17 and I’m going on 34.

“You forget that they’re still kids, they’re still learning and it’s a great chance for me to empathise with how I was at that age and you only know what you know.

“What an opportunity for me to help them become better people, better professionals and teach them life skills that will hopefully help fulfil their ambition of making the AFL.

Paul Pascu in action for the Calder Cannons last season. Picture: Hamish Blair

“There is an emphasis on development but at the end of the day when the boys run out there they want to win.

“(Development and winning) aren’t mutually exclusive but if we can ensure the players are developing and the more people you have doing that the more chance you have of winning games.

“It’s a team sport and we’ve got to get guys to understand what their role is and how that helps other people and helps them.”

Sturgess steps into a program that had one player selected in last season’s draft – Greater Western Sydney Academy prospect Harry Rowston.

Cannons have two players in the current Boys Vic Metro squad – Western Bulldogs father-son and key position prospect Jordan Croft and midfielder Mahmoud Taha.

The pair will headline an exciting group at Calder this season with plenty of bottom-age talent also at Sturgess’ disposal.

NAB: WHAT NEW KNIGHTS COACHES HOPE TO ACHIEVE

LEADER: GET YOUR NAB LEAGUE FOOTY NEWS HERE

DRAFT: CANNONS’ BEST DRAFTEES IN HISTORY

“(Jordan and Mahmoud) they’ve been really impressive at training and I’m involved in the Vic Metro stuff and they impressed in the one camp we had there as well,” Sturgess said.

“We’ve got some really exciting kids coming through as bottom-agers, not this year but next year.

“Calder had the most kids in the Vic Metro under-16s squad, so that group of six are coming through and I’m excited to see what they can do over the next two years.”

The fixture for the 2023 NAB League season is yet to be announced.