WRFL: North Footscray coach Jonathan Miller signs on for second year

NORTH Footscray coach Jonathan Miller has been lauded for his “selflessness” after committing to a second season in charge of the Western Region Football League club.

Jonathan Miller will lead North Footscray in 2019. Picture: Stuart Milligan

NORTH Footscray coach Jonathan Miller has been lauded for his “selflessness” after committing to a second season in charge of the Western Region Football League club.

Miller said last month he would happily step aside if the Devils found someone more suitable to lead them.

The 2017 Division 2 premier was eliminated in the opening week of finals this year and experienced a frustrating campaign.

But Devils president Shaun Brown said there was never a question mark over Miller’s hold on the top job.

Jonathan Miller sends North Footscray into attack. Picture: Richard Serong

“In my mind, there was no doubt he was always going to coach in 2019,” Brown said.

“I didn’t go looking. He was always my man for the job.

“I’m thrilled to bits because I’m trying to drive a pretty strong culture through the place, and Jon echoes my thoughts around that. He was a very solid contributor in setting up a culture we want to drive.

“I’m very happy with the performance of him as coach, and we were a bit undone by injuries at the end of the day.

“I don’t think we had our starting midfield all season until the final basically and the boys were unfortunately too underdone at that stage.”

North Footscray finished the home-and-away rounds in third spot with a 10-8 record before suffering a 13-point loss to Parkside in the elimination final.

The Devils defeated the Magpies three times during the regular season by a combined margin of 174 points but failed to fire when it mattered most.

Their re-signings are headlined by co-captains Aaron Smith and Daniel Neville, Reece Duffield, Kieran Murphy, and Tyron Bennett.

Brown said some retirements were possible but not yet confirmed, while the club is looking to bolster its midfield and add a key forward.

“There’s not a lot of change. We’re in the market looking for a couple of recruits, but haven’t secured anyone yet,” he said.

North Footscray starts pre-season on December 3 and will field an under-18s team for the first time “in a number of years” next season.