New Palmerston Magpies star recruit Michael Coombes to add ‘huge value’ to team: Coach Josh Heath
New Palmerston coach Josh Heath believes his team can be competitive again – and build around a premiership-winning powerhouse recruit. What do you think? HAVE YOUR SAY.
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POWERHOUSE midfielder Michael Coombes can make the Magpies competitive again.
That is the opinion of new Palmerston coach Josh Heath, who cannot wait to see the positive impact Coombes will have on his club in the upcoming 2021-22 NTFL season.
The two won premierships at great St Mary’s outfits, and their close friendship was all it took to entice the 24-year-old to join the black-and-whites from Darwin Buffaloes.
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“It’s exciting to have Mikey with us, and he’ll add huge value to our midfield,” Heath said.
“He brings a real strong family culture and work ethic.
“He’ll also show our juniors how to get better.
“I only mentioned it (the coaching opportunity at Palmerston) as just part of a conversation we had, and then he came back to me and said he was keen to join me.
“I’ve known Mikey a long time and he’s a great person.
“He was just what I was looking for at Palmerston.”
With a population of almost 35,000 in a football-mad region, you cannot fault Territory football fans for questioning why the Magpies have not been a genuine NTFL contender for quite some time.
Their finals drought is now 11 years.
But Heath believes he has a strong foundation of community support to help the club compete every week under his watch.
“We’re going to be big on community engagement, especially in our 50th season coming up,” Heath said.
“And that’s where someone like Mikey comes in.
“We’ve had a young group in recent years with a huge turnover of players, which is why we want some continuity with guys sticking around.
“And we feel we’ll have that with some of our key players like (captain and star ruckman) Matty Dennis, Chris Williams, Eric Guthrie and Ryan Warfe re-committing.
“Matty just won the best-and-fairest at his club in Tasmania (Bracknell) by a country mile, and he’s the type of player a whole team can learn off.
“And Warfey and Sandy Brock went over to Peel Thunder in Western Australia.
“They can only build from their experiences over there.”
Despite the Magpies underachieving in recent seasons – including finishing second-last with just three wins in their 2020-21 campaign – Heath believes the sky is the limit for the club moving forward.
“They (Palmerston’s population and junior playing depth) were what appealed to me about taking on this role,” he said.
“This club has a strong footprint throughout the Territory and we own a huge area without another club out here.”
Heath is already making a mark at his new club.
“Throughout the pre-season we’ll generate what style we want to play,” he said.
“But at the moment the men, women and juniors are training as a group, and I’m trying to instil a strong club culture.”
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