Roos bound for premiership success with new coach appointed

Cam Sandercock Crop  TBW Newsgroup

Cam Sandercock Crop TBW Newsgroup
NEW SKIPPER FOR ROOS: Cameron Sandercock – pictured at the 2018 interleague carnival – will coach the West Gambier A Grade side for the 2020 Western Border Football League season.

WITH a grand final loss still fresh on the minds over at the West Gambier Football Club, news of a new head coach has added some excitement looking ahead to the 2020 Western Border Football League season.

Cameron Sandercock has been announced as the successor to 2019 A Grade coach Brad Wilson, who had been at the Roos’ helm for the past two seasons.

Sandercock will make the transition from the Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara Football League, where he played and coached at Bordertown for the last two years, following a coaching stint at Border Districts.

He will add both height and athleticism to the West roster, with the ability to play in most positions around the ground.

Having represented the KNTFL at interleague on several occasions, as well as donning the Murray South East strip at the South Australian Country Championships, Sandercock will bring a wealth of experience to the Roos camp.

He lives on a property 50km north of Naracoorte, but said he will make the trek south to Mount Gambier for the majority of training sessions.

Along for the ride will be his brother Sam, who is the second new recruit for the Roos, also coming across from the Bordertown Football Club.

The chance arose when West approached Sandercock and offered the position, with the decision not a difficult one after looking at the lineup.

It is an opportunity Sandercock is excited for, as he enters the club hoping to build on what the team achieved this year.

“Knowing they made the grand final last year and are keeping pretty much all their players, I am pretty keen to get down there and try and get them into a winning grand final,” he said.

With the playing list relatively unchanged at this stage, Sandercock said it “makes life a bit easier” and will limit the influx of talent needed to remain competitive next season.

However, he has been working on a few players from the KNTFL who he hopes to convert.

“I have a couple I have been talking to,” he said.

“I have not sealed anyone yet, but I have a couple of players who are keen.

“I just have to work out what key positions I need before I sign anyone up.”

One position West has lacked in recent years is a key forward, with no main target in front of goal.

While there are plenty of capable midfielders who rotated forward and shared the load this year, that will be one area Sandercock will likely address during the off-season.

“I will probably play Sam (Sandercock) off a centre-half back role and maybe move Wenmo (Steve Wenman) forward,” he said.

In terms of a game plan for 2020, Sandercock said there will be minimal changes.

“Obviously after making the grand final you cannot change too much up,” he said.

“A focus will be probably just trying to lock it into the forward line and create more of a scoring opportunity.

“Just that fast run and attacking footy really.”

Sandercock is no stranger to a hard attacking game and is fearless both on and off the football field.

Both he and his brother are cowboys at heart and ride bulls in their spare time.

While the battle between man and beast differs slightly to that on a football field, the brothers can both be expected to go in hard for the ball and put their bodies on the line without hesitation.

The 2020 Western Border season is still some time away yet, but Sandercock is eager to start the ball rolling in preparation for another successful year.

“I am looking forward to the season and meeting some new people,” he said.

“Hopefully I can get them back into a grand final.”