VSDCA: Aaron Whear appointed Altona’s new senior coach

Altona has turned to a “cricket tragic” as its senior coach for the 2022-23 season with the club set to have a strong English flavour under the new mentor.

When Altona advertised for a new senior coach it was inundated with applications.

But after trawling through the list of potential mentors, the Victorian Sub District Cricket Association club quickly realised the best person for the job might already be within arms reach.

That’s where Aaron Whear came in.

Whear has been appointed as the club’s new senior coach for the 2022-23 season.

Last season, he spent time between the First and Second XIs.

He has played over 200 First XI games in the Subbies competition and has previous coaching experience with Altona North and Point Cook.

Whear has also played Premier Cricket for Northcote and South Melbourne.

Altona president Darren McConville said Whear will continue to play games next season but will be focused on “guiding the ship”.

“It became evident the most qualified person for the job was right under our noses when we advertised the position,” he said.

Altona will have a senior coach in charge for next season. Photo: Facebook.

“Aaron’s a cricket tragic — he loves the game. He brings a lot of playing experience with him and will play a critical role in developing our younger guys.

“His previous experience and record of improving players is one of the reasons he has been appointed.”

The off-season has been a rollercoaster ride for Altona so far according to McConville as the club aims to add to its depth.

But he admitted trying to find local recruits had been difficult.

“We have gone out into the market and tried to find players but it hasn’t been easy,” he said.

“We’ve found Premier cricket has a younger age demographic now and there aren’t too many guys who are looking to step back a level.

“But we have signed three English imports, who are all aged between 19 and 21, so they’ll fit into our group nicely.

“It’s important we keep seeing development from our young guys as well throughout the season.”

Aaron Whear during his time with Preston.

Altona finished last season 12th on the ladder with just four wins to its name and McConville is hoping to see the First XI push for finals under Whear.

“We want to be as competitive as possible,” he said.

“We want our club to improve across all grades. Our Second XI has consistently made finals for the past few seasons so it would be fantastic if they can push themselves into premiership contention.”