Cricket Southern Bayside: South Caulfield appoints Jason Jacoby as senior coach

A former Australian under 19 wicketkeeper has taken over as South Caulfield coach, and he plans to challenge the players and give them “more responsibility’’.

South Caulfield will be hungry for success next season under new coach Jason Jacoby. Picture: Valeriu Campan

South Caulfield’s new coach is a familiar face and well respected by the players.

Jason Jacoby steps into the top job after being South’s assistant coach for the past two seasons under Gerard Cull.

At 57, former champion gloveman Jacoby is looking forward to the challenge of leading “a really professional and successful club” in Cricket Southern Bayside’s Championship division.

“I helped out with Cully last year and really enjoyed it,’’ Jacoby said.

“Cully, just through personal reasons and a little bit of burnout I think after doing it for so long and so well, stepped aside and, yeah, I was in the right spot at the right time.”

Jacoby was an outstanding player who went on to coach Bentleigh and Mt Martha.

Jason Jacoby.

In 1985, Jacoby was gloveman in the Australian U19 side that included Tom Moody, Paul Reiffel, Gavin Robertson and Warren Ayres.

He went on to play 233 games with St Kilda, alongside the likes of Gary Cosier and John Embrey, snaring more than 400 dismissals.

Coaching followed his playing daysand he’s felt at home at South Caulfield.

“I’ve always been involved in clubs, doing some specialist coaching here and there,” Jacoby said.

“I’ve got to know the club (South Caulfield) and the players and what they’re about.

“They’re a really professional club, they’re successful, they’ve got the right attitude.

“It’s challenging because the guys are good players, they want to be challenged so that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Jacoby said he would do things a little differently to Cull.

“If anything I’ll probably give the players a bit more responsibility to run things, let them make up their own minds,” he said.

“At the end of the day the coach is there to make sure there’s a direction, there’s a plan and process in place, but it’s the players who have to implement it.”

South Caulfield batsman Will Russell. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Jacoby says South Caulfield reminds him of St Kilda, which he captained.

“At St Kilda there’s a feel, I’m not quite sure what it is, that bit of confidence…you go out there and you expect to win and that’s something South Caulfield has done really well,’’ he said.

“Yeah, it does remind me a bit of that.

“They are professional, they train hard and they enjoy themselves as well. So they are very similar to St Kilda.”

South Caulfield president Jonathan Restarick said Jacoby would make a “pretty seamless transition” to the role of senior coach.

“Jason is also pretty passionate, pretty competitive,’’ he said.

“We think it will be good, it will be a bit of a fresh change without throwing everything out with the complete opposite.”

South Caulfield made the finals last season but missed out on playing off in the grand final and Jacoby said it hurt the players.

He hopes it will motivate them to go all the way in 2023-24.