By Tom Ingleton
New Tullamarine coach Zack Carey is setting the foundations for a new era at the club, with a strong focus on culture and professionalism heading into the Essendon District Football League division 1 season.
“Look, to be honest mate, it’s been a lot about culture – bringing in the right people,” Carey said.
“We probably had some people there that were bringing the culture down a little bit the last few years, so it’s been a matter of bringing in not just good footballers but good people. People that want to be here for the right reasons to help the club get to where we want to get to, which eventually is the premier division.”
Tullamarine narrowly missed finals last season, finishing just outside the top bracket. Under Carey’s leadership, the club is determined to take the next step.
“The aim is absolutely to play finals this year,” he said. “This is my first year at Tullamarine, so the biggest challenge has been getting to know the competition. It’s renowned to be one of the most competitive leagues, and it’s very close – any team on their day can win. It’s going to be a really tight race for finals, and probably both ends of the ladder will be really close.”
Recruitment has been a major focus for Tullamarine, with a strong influx of talent from the premier division.
“We’ve brought in a few guys from premier division footy, which has been really good–blokes from Strathmore and other clubs,” Carey said.
“We’ve got Adam Figiola from Pascoe Vale, Shaun McKernan’s come back to the club, Ben Weightman’s come on board, and we’ve got a few guys from Benalla, so it’s really good. We have brought in a good 15-odd blokes to the club, all of whom are going to be in the mix to play senior footy.”
A professional approach has been a key pillar of Carey’s early tenure, with a focus on fitness and preparation.
“When I first got here, I had a real desire for professionalism and having a really strong pre-season to get fit, trying to bring that A-grade mentality,” he said.
“The boys have had a really tough fitness campaign, probably the toughest they’ve had, to be honest. We had a camp down at Anglesea, which was really good for team building and fitness, coming up with our values and things like that. We also had three really challenging practice matches against good opposition to see where we are at.”
Tullamarine will kick off their 2025 campaign with a twilight game on Saturday April 5, playing Moonee Valley at their new clubrooms–an exciting milestone for the club as they aim to make their mark on the competition this season.
