KALANGADOO’S incoming A Grade coach Dylan Ayton has been forced to wait a little longer to make his debut in Mid South East football as the world battles COVID-19.
The former Casterton Sandford stalwart made the jump across the border to lead the Magpies in 2020 after eight seasons at the ‘Cattery’.
With Kalangadoo aiming for back-to-back titles, Ayton has been nothing, but impressed with his new surroundings.
Led by renovations of the new club rooms, he said the atmosphere around the ground has been special.
“I am extremely impressed and the club has so many good things going on at the moment,” Ayton said.
“There is a real community feel and Chris Mules left us in a really good position.
“People from the club have put in so much of their own time and hard work for the new club rooms, which I say many clubs would be envious of.”
These feelings materialised across a three-month period when the reigning premiers hit the training track rigorously.
Ayton said he was keen to start quickly and the group caught his eye straight away.
“Some people think we might have started too early, but it takes time to bring in the cohesiveness and new game style,” he said.
“The worry coming into a successful club is are they going to want it again, but within a week those questions were answered.
“Their commitment was as good as any club I have played for.
“It is not just the commitment to fitness, but the drive to study the way we are going to play and ask questions.
“We are in a fantastic position.”
Over the summer, Ayton was not the only new comer to the Magpies’ list.
He was joined by fellow former Cats Josh Searle, Charlie Jarrad and Kevin Stark, with the latter set to be a playing assistant coach.
Tom Williams returns to Kalangadoo after a stint at East Gambier and former Magpies’ premiership player Al Lyon does the same after a break from the game, while Penola’s Justin Mansell made the jump south.
The intense pre-season reached its height with a trial game against the Eagles before being cut short by coronavirus.
However, the hard work has not stopped for the 2019 premiers, with fitness sessions being allocated for each player.
Ayton said the team has utilised the services of an unemployed club member to stay in shape during the current quiet time.
“Unfortunately club member Jayden Bannister is a personal trainer and has been out of work, so he has been able to send us programs,” he said.
“We are very lucky to have him.
“We have four running sessions a week and the group has done some hard yards over the last six weeks.
“We want to make sure we have not lost any of the ground we gained from November to February and hopefully the programs hold us in good stead when footy does return.”
Looking at the bigger picture, Ayton understands there are higher priorities than football.
“It is a challenge, but football is just a tiny part of it at the moment,” he said.
“We have blokes who lost their jobs and are struggling for work, which is a much bigger deal.
“As a person who loves football, you would love to be out there, but our priority is making sure the entire Kalangadoo community is okay.”
