WRFL 2018: Parkside coach Chris Muratore to lead Division 2 club solo in 2019

PARKSIDE coach Chris Muratore has praised the contribution of outgoing mentor Nick Condos as the Western Region Football League Division 2 club prepares for 2019.

Chris Muratore and Nick Condos (left) steered Parkside this season. Picture: Mark Dadswell

PARKSIDE coach Chris Muratore has praised the contribution of outgoing mentor Nick Condos as the Western Region Football League Division 2 club prepares for 2019.

Condos, who has steered the Magpies for the past three seasons and shared the top job with Muratore this year, has decided to step aside.

The experienced mentor led Parkside to last year’s Division 3 premiership after its future was in question following a player exodus in 2015.

While Muratore has been locked in to coach solo from next season as part of a succession plan for some time, Condos had considered continuing with the club progressing to the preliminary final.

Jordan Garita gathers possession for Parkside in the preliminary final: Picture: Mark Dadswell

“He (Condos) has given me a fair bit of the reins at training and obviously how I want to go about things and game day and all that,” Muratore said.

“I’m obviously a rookie coach and trying to learn as much from a guy who’s been around and been a great servant, not just for this club but for a lot of high-standard football.

“To be next to him all year and pick his brain and what I can do and what I can’t, still being a playing coach, it’s been sensational. He’s been great.

“I said a big thank you to him after the (preliminary final) and obviously we’ll still be really good mates.

“He’ll probably still float through. I’m not sure what his plan of attack is next year, but obviously as a footy club we are planning ahead of that now.”

The Magpies finished the home-and-away rounds in fourth spot and knocked out last year’s premier North Footscray in the opening week of finals.

While they were outclassed by Point Cook the following week, the season will no doubt be rated as a success.

“Our retention is really good for next year. We’ve already started planning for that,” Muratore said.

“We’re going in the right direction. It’s a building block from where it’s come from 2014 to now and obviously coming up from 2017 to now.

“I don’t think too many sides would have come from Division 3 and really crack in and knock out the premiers of 2017. It’s all those little things.

“We’re probably a year ahead of where want to be.

“We’ve just got to move on from there and hopefully next year we go one more step and play in a grand final. That’s got to be our driving force in the pre-season now.”

Muratore, Max Rampling, Ben Ashman, Luke Buttigieg and Nikolas Goulas were among Parkside’s leading performers this season.