By Trevor Jackson
CASTERTON Sandford Football Club has made some changes leading up to the inaugural Limestone Coast Football League, with a change of coaches and several incoming players.
Jarrod O’Brien takes over the coaching role from Kane Forbes and is keen to kick things off this weekend in his first year at the helm.
Forbes will still be available as a player, but with plenty on his plate, including a new baby, it was time to step aside.
For O’Brien it is an exciting opportunity and e looks forward to the challenge.
“I think we will be competitive this year,” he said.
“We have held onto most of our playing group and have picked up five or six players who will play seniors.
“It should be a good season, being such a young group, with another year together.
“The boys have a bit of potential.”
One exciting announcement is the return of Callum Curry to the Cats.
Curry comes on as assistant coach, which O’Brien is certainly happy about.
“You couldn’t pick a better assistant coach,” he said.
“He has the respect of the boys and if I ask a question, he generally has an answer.
“He will play as well and is in pretty good nick too.
“He has a smart footy brain and will play up forward.
“I will play more of a back-line role so it will be good to have a coach up either end.”
The Cats missed out on finals football last year by eight points.
O’Brien has plans to change that this season and says he has already noticed a difference on the training track.
“Last year everyone in the league began to improve halfway through the season, but we sort of plateaued,” he said.
“On the training track, everything I have asked the boys to do they have done.
“They have exceeded my expectations.
“I thought it would be a longer process to implement things myself and Cal wanted to do.
“It has shown in the practice matches, the style I wanted to play, they just do it, they don’t think about it.
“They are starting to click, asking questions and are a good group to work with.”
As for the new season, O’Brien has some simple plans as 2024 unfolds.
“Everyone wants to win a premiership, but my goal for the squad is to make finals,” he said.
“Once you make finals anything can happen.
“A couple of games last year we weren’t as competitive as we should have been and a couple of games where I thought we were in control, we didn’t win it on the scoreboard.
“I want us to be competitive in every game.”
