Mirboo North Football Netball Club replaces president and coach after storm damage

A country football netball club has made two major decisions after being ravaged by storms last week but it’s not all bad news.

New Mirboo North president Andy McCarthy with the departing president Joe Piper. Picture: Mirboo North Football Netball Club.

Mirboo North Football Netball Club is confident its vision will lead to success after a tough week of big decisions on and off the field.

A week after storms ravaged the club, causing $30,000 of damage, the club has made the move to replace both the coach and president.

Andy McCarthy has replaced Joe Piper as president because of health issues.

Piper will remain at the club to help it rebuild following the storm.

“I’m 67 and my health is not great so it was time to think loud and hard (about my future),” Piper said.

“The main reason is I’ll be doing the facilities work, organising what we need to get the season started.

“Andy is going to take over the presidency.”

McCarthy, in his first role at the club, made the move to replace Peter Mongta after conversations were had with the coach about the vision of the club moving forward.

According to the new president both parties agreed the time had come for change, despite it being close to the season.

“We had a meeting with Peter yesterday as a club and had a chat with him about the club and where it is going and chat about some of the football issues we are working through,” McCarthy said.

“It was an amicable meeting and went for an hour or so and at the end of the meeting he informed us he intended to step down for the 2024 season.

“And while he was contracted we have agreed to release him from those contractual obligations.

“It finished well and I got a really nice message from him afterwards and he appreciates how it’s been handled.

“He’s a legend of Mirboo North and he’ll be around at past player events and premiership reunions we hope in the future because we’ve respected what he’s done.”

McCarthy said the club had an idea of who will replace Mongta but nothing will be finalised until the committee meets on Tuesday night.

He said while it wasn’t ideal to make a change the priority was getting the club back to the finals for the first time since 2019.

“This club is used to being at the pointy end and for a number of reasons we haven’t been able to get there recently,” McCarthy said.

“We had an honest conversation and looked him in the eye and said where are we at as a club.
“That’s the best way for clubs to handle these conversations as a mature conversation with the coach directly and say this is what we think, how do you feel and say to them can we move forward together.

“We agreed we couldn’t and we shook hands.

“No one plans to change their coach in February for the season ahead, I’m not papering over that but sometimes we need to take a step back to go two steps forward.”

McCarthy said it wasn’t ideal him coming to the club with the Tigers recovering from the storms and now needing to find a new coach ahead of their first game of the season on April 13.

But he’s relishing the challenge of bring the club back to the top.

“From the conversations I’ve had we are in a strong position going forward as a club,” he said.

“We think we can be competitive this year and have some great players on our list.

“When you look at the calibre of people in our club on and off the field I feel very confident it will be a quick turnaround.

“Off the field we are going to make some good decisions we’re going to announce in the next week or so.

“People will see there is a clear vision going forward.

“I can see where we are going here and it’s a really exciting future.

“I’ve got three boys who are 13, 11 and 9 and my oldest boy will be in the senior club in three years and I want to be a part of building the next period of sustained success at Mirboo North football club.”

Mirboo North takes on Boolarra in its first match of the season on April 13.

COUNTRY CLUB COUNTING COST OF STORM DAMAGE

Mirboo North sporting clubs are confident they can bounce back following the storms last week but admit their focus is on getting the community back together first.

The town is still counting the costs of a severe storm which ravaged the region, killing a local farmer and causing widespread damage to the area.

Heavy winds felled trees into houses and tore down powerlines in the town located near the Strzelecki Ranges.

The Mirboo North golf course and Mirboo North Recreational Reserve, which hosts the football, cricket, pony, tennis and soccer clubs also received significant damage from the storm.

The emergency services’ command centre is still on scene at the reserve while hundreds of homes remain without power.

Storm damage in Mirboo North. Picture: South Gippsland MP Danny O’Brien.

“The impact has been felt by the whole of Mirboo North and district,” Mirboo North Football and Netball president Joe Piper said.

“The damage was widespread, it was intense.

“We as a football netball club are supporting as many people as we can and at the same time just continuing to prepare with our needs to get the 2024 season underway.”

Piper revealed the club received damage to their goalposts, which saw the main two snapped in half from the ferocity of the winds.

There was also significant damage to the fencing around the ground and the sheds and storage facilities, which are also used by other clubs at the ground.

Piper said the estimated costs might go past $30,000.

“We’ll be working with AFL and other agencies (to fix it up) but we’ve put a figure of roughly around $30,000 which we need to get things up and running,” he said.

“We need it (the funds) straight away.

“We need to get goalposts, netting, other things as well as pitch covers.”

The club is working hard to make sure it can host its first home game in the Mid Gippsland league on April 20 against Foster.

The season starts on April 13 with the Tigers only playing one game out of their first four at home.

“We’re going to give it a crack (to be ready),” Piper said.

“We’re going to be reliant on so many other agencies rolling up their sleeves along with ourselves to do that.

“I’ve spoken to the Foster president in the last couple of days and put a proposal to him to have a night game (on that day).

“It’s an early seed we are trying to sow.”

The game would be designed as a massive fundraiser for the community and a celebration of getting back up and running.

The Tigers have been part of the Mid Gippsland league since 1955 and have won seven premierships.

But Piper said the club was also in consultation with the league in case they are unable to host the first home match.

“We have a delegates meeting on Wednesday, we’ll be discussing that among other things,” he said.

“We’ve had tremendous support from other clubs who have been ringing up.

“It’s not new to our league and I’m sure our league will do everything they can to assist.

“If that means early in the season we need to reschedule a home game to an away game and score one back at the end of the season well why not, if it is needed.

“We’ll be doing everything in our power to be hosting the game on April 20 against Foster.”

Piper added now was the time the community to get together to help, not just each other, but the sporting clubs.

“Word is to have faith, don’t lose faith in Mirboo North to get its act together for the year,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot things that are positive planned for the year so stay on board.

“We just need people to hold the faith and get behind the football club, the cricket club, the golf club, the soccer club.

“If you are members of these clubs, if you’ve played for these clubs before, stick your had up and have a crack in 24.”

While football and netball has a two month break the same can’t be said for cricket, with the Mirboo North cricket club already moving fixtures in the Cricket Latrobe league.

There is no time frame for the team to return home to play.

“We are hopeful of getting back on our home ground later in the season,” Mirboo North cricket club president Dale Banks said.

“We have had significant damage to a lot of our equipment and grounds.

“For us though it is more about making sure our people and our community are safe first.”

Banks said if the team weren’t able to get back home to play for the rest of the season it would be happy to play games away.

Meanwhile this masthead contacted the Mirboo North Golf Club for comment but the club could not be reached.

Currently, volunteers are starting the process of cleaning up the facilities with no time frame on when the club will open.

The football and netball club have started a GoFundMe page to raise funds to rebuild their club.

To assist head here with funds to help not only the football and netball club in the interim but every association as sheds and storage facilities get repaired.

Originally published as Mirboo North Football Netball Club replaces president and coach after storm damage