Peter Edwards has big plans for the South Hobart Football Club after taking over midway through the Aus Championships
New South Hobart coach Peter Edwards has a clear long-term view for his club as he aims to help the Tassie powerhouse go from “battler” to contender on the national stage. See what he said.,
New South Hobart coach Peter Edwards is focused on how his side can close the gap to mainland clubs.
Edwards, who has spent time with Sydney FC in the A-League, has taken over South at the midway point of the Australian Championship, replacing Max Clarke who has moved to Northcote City in Victoria.
The former Sydney FC under-18s mentor said was determined to help the game grow on the Apple Isle.
“That has got to be probably one of the biggest selling points for myself to the reason I’m actually really proud to be the head coach of South Hobart is what the academy has here,” Edwards said.
“The strength of the academy and the work that Ken (Morton), Vicky Morton and the board and so forth have done for so many years.
“It’s really obvious and clear to see that South Hobart’s sort of youth set up is probably second to none down in this state and that’s why those relationships with Sydney and obviously some of the bigger mainland clubs are there.
“It’s got a really strong platform and basis to build on and that’s really then when I come in sort of in the senior space that we’re trying to really take all of that to the next level and I think the talent that we have here in Tasmania and specifically at South is fantastic and I can’t wait to be honest, I’m very excited about the long-term projects for this club.”
Edwards joins South Hobart with plenty of experience having also previously worked at the Central Coast Mariners in the A-League.
U20s head coach and the clubs Technical Director before moving to Sydney FC.
Now, the new senior coach will turn his mind to the club’s clash with Wollongong, a side Edwards knows “very well”.
“I think we have a job now to in the next three games to sort of try and showcase even more rather than just sort of being the underdogs or the battlers which I guess that’s kind of the way a lot of the press and so forth sort of push the club in this Aus Championship,” Edwards said.
“I think there’s a lot more that we can show in that regard, so it’s difficult because how much can I change as the new head coach in a week or three weeks over the time but I think for me, it’s to empower the players, empower the boys to be able to showcase what they can do.
“Because I can see it on the training ground, often big stages and big sort of events like this can make a bit of a shadow sometimes of the ability that you have.
“So I think it’s my job for these three weeks to get the mentality, that’s probably the biggest thing that I can have an effect on is really give them the confidence and belief that they’re good enough, they can compete and we can sort of showcase really what we can do.”
The round 4 contest between the Wolves and South Hobart kicks off at 1pm on Sunday at Collegians Sports Centre in Wollongong.
What Clarke is most proud of during South Hobart stint
It may not have been the fairytale ending for Max Clarke at South Hobart but the outgoing coach will leave with plenty of great memories.
Clarke led South Hobart for the final time in the Australian Championship loss to Heidelberg United on Sunday.
But Clarke said that won’t be a memory which sits with him when he remembers his time with the club.
“I had time to reflect this morning and we had set out five goals at the start of the year and obviously three of those were to win the league, win the pre-season cup and win the Lakoseljac Cup,” Clarke said.
“We’ve done all of those and it’s the first time the club has won the league in eight years as well, so that is pretty special to me.
“That is kind of a reminder to the players, yeah it’s been a pretty challenging Australian Championship run but I think we need to be really proud of what we have achieved in the short period of time.”
There were plenty of achievements Clarke had ticked off during his short period in charge but one stands out most.
“You can’t write off the league, I think the league run was excellent and I think the fact that we went through so many games and we only lost one against Launceston City is a special achievement,” Clarke said.
“We almost did kind of the invincible run, but I think as well as that, I’m really happy with our game against South Melbourne.
“I feel like we were really impressive in that game at KGV and we matched them for long periods of the game, we were probably unlucky not to get a result from it.”
Now, Clarke will have a few weeks off before taking up the coaching role at Northcote City in Victoria.
Clarke hopes to take out a lot from his time at South Hobart and bring them to his new club.
“I think taking in that winning mentality but also a group that is really closely knit as well is something that is at the top of my list for me,” Clarke said.
“It is a whole new experience here and will be but it’s an opportunity for both myself and the club to learn from and take big steps forward.
“I was really proud of my time at South Hobart and looking back, being the only Tasmanian side in the Australian Championship is a great achievement as well.
“I think what it does show is these clubs here have such big named players and shows that Tasmania does have a long way to go in competing against the bigger clubs but I know the boys are super proud and so they should be to make the Australian Championship.”
No fairytale ending for South Hobart outgoing coach
There was no fairytale ending for South Hobart Football Club outgoing coach Max Clarke as his side was on the back-end of a thumping by Victorian powerhouse Heidelberg United.
Clarke was hopeful his side could do the impossible when they took on the leading club of the their Group B in the Australian Championship but it wasn’t to be as Heidelberg ran away with a 6-1 victory.
It was tough going for the travelling South Hobart as Heidelberg piled on six first half opening goals to put everything out of reach as both sides walked into the half time break.
Tasmanian born Angus Taylor broke the hearts of South Hobart inside the first three minutes of the game, booting the ball into the top right hand corner finding the back of the net.
From there it was all Heidelberg with Bul Juach kicking back-to-back goals in the 12th and 27th minute marks.
It was followed by Ciaran Bramwell also kicking back-to-back goals in the 32nd and 39th minute with Fletcher Fulton kicking his first and Heidelberg’s sixth in the third minute of injury time.
South Hobart’s defence stood up in the second half as Heidelberg looked to pile on more dominance but were unable to break the line or find the back of the net again.
In what is just the second goal for South Hobart in the Australian Championship, substitute Eli Wright found the back of the net in the 88th minute.
Now, the South Hobart reigns will be taken over by Peter Edwards for the final three Australian Cup matches.
Edwards’ first contest is up against Wollongong Wolves at Collegians Sports Centre on Sunday November 2 before two home games against Marconi Stallions on Sunday November 9 and Heidelberg United on Sunday November 16.
‘They could be in the A-League’: South eye major upset
South Hobart star Nick Morton says despite Heidelberg being close to A-League level the club is aiming to give outgoing coach Max Clarke a send-off he will never forget in their Australian Championship clash at Olympic Park on Sunday.
Clarke is being replaced by Peter Edwards, joining South Hobart from Sydney FC, where he was under-18 head coach in the A-League Men’s Academy, having also spent time in senior coaching and technical director roles at Central Coast Mariners Academy.
Clarke will coach his final game this weekend, with Edwards in the wings, and he will take over for the final two group games against Wollongong away and Heidelberg at home.
As the leading team in Group B, Heidelberg will be another challenge for South Hobart, which is at the bottom of the group after losses to Wollongong Wolves and Marconi Stallions, conceding seven goals and scoring once.
“It will be another tough one,” Morton said.
“They are a top team in Australian football at the moment and they could be in the A-League the way they have been playing – they’ve been super.
“We’ve got to rise to the occasion and it we wipe our minds of last week and come in fresh again, we have to be positive and looking forward to the challenge.”
Morton said changing coach was always on their radar.
“We want to do our best for Max in his last game, and we wish him well in his new venture and want to send him off on a good note,” Morton said.
“He has been super for us all season. He’s done a super job winning everything to be won.”
Edwards takes the reins next week.
“While there might be a few slight tweaks, overall there won’t be many changes until next season,” Morton said.
“It’s probably a good move to happen now rather than waiting until the last game. We are positive about it and looking forward to working with Pete.”
Clarke said it was a planned transition.
“It was always going to be challenging for me to complete the whole tournament just because of my commitments to my new club,” Clarke said.
“We felt it was best for the changeover to come mid-way through the group stage, it gives Pete a chance to come in and work with the group and put his mark on things.
“I’m super-motivated for the boys to give me a good send-off.
“We’ve been putting in the work this week and we’re hoping to get a decent result against a top team.”
Morton believes South Hobart can rebound after a defeat at the hands of Marconi on their road trip last weekend.
“It was a steep learning curve for us – they are a good team and probably one of the teams that would be close to going to the A-League because they are quite a formidable side.”
“We will learn from that experience but it just doesn’t get any easier though.”
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