Two-time grand final coach Anthony Vallejo retained as St Mary’s coach for 21-22

St Mary’s back incumbent senior coach Anthony Vallejo to coach their Premier League for a third NTFL season

St Mary's captains, Raphael Clarke and Shannon Rioli with coach Anthony Vallejo (centre) before last season’s classic NTFL grand final against Nightcliff. Picture: Che Chorley

ANTHONY Vallejo will coach Premier League side St Mary’s for a third season it was announced this week.

But he won’t resume at the helm on matchdays until Round 3 because of a four-game suspension for breaching fly-in player By-Laws late in the 20-21 season.

“I’m very much looking forward to it and now the club has announced I’ll be doing it, we’ll be going full steam ahead for the next couple of months,’’ Vallejo said.

“The phone’s already been ringing hot with players keen on coming back and wanting to know when the pre-season starts.’’

Vallejo will have the same group of assistants around him, including his brother Iggy, John Anstess and former Geelong, Fremantle and Western Bulldogs forward Andrew Wills.

“We’ll obviously try and freshen the group up a little bit, so we’re on the hunt for another couple of assistants to give us some fresh ideas,’’ he said.

“And we’ve got some rally talented juniors coming through after they won the last two under-18 flags.

“Jacob Long in my first year and Beau Tedcastle last season put their hands up and did really well for us and I expect that to continue with our young players.’’

Club president Adrian Moscheni confirmed Vallejo as the club’s senior men’s coach on a further one-year deal.

“We just thought as an executive and through the future directions group that Anthony needs to have better people around him,’’ Moscheni said.

“I think he’s got so much more to give and to have people taking some of the burden off him where some of the breaches of By-Laws from last year could have been avoided, is something we’re working toward.

“Yes, he’s got improving to do in some areas, but so has the club as a committee around him.

“The one-year we’ve given him will be his third year and now we’ve made the decision, we want him to settle into the role as soon as possible.

“We’ve had quite a few meetings with him to build up a repertoire on where the missing links were off the field and how they can be improved on.’’

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