Tara Murray
New Westmeadows coach Ash Flavel isn’t expecting much to change at the Essendon District Football League division 1 club next season.
Flavel took over as the Tigers coach after Mo Kaakour accepted a role with Richmond’s Victorian Football League side.
Already set to be an assistant coach again for next season, it was a natural progression for him to step up when the opportunity arose.
Flavel said he was over the moon about the opportunity.
“It has sunk in a little bit now,” he said. “I’ve been at the club the last two years and had experience at other clubs.
“[President] Grant [Smith] rang me up and offered me the job. It’s been hammer and tongs for the last two weeks.”
Flavel said he had been happy in the assistant coach role due to work commitments, but thought it was too good an opportunity to turn down when it came about.
Kaakour will still be heavily involved at the club appointed director of coaching.
Flavel said the two had a really good relationship.
“We are catching up tonight to go through a few things,” he said last week.
“Just thoughts on players, training. I can call him any time and we’ve been best mates for a long time, we played in premiership together.
“He will be really good and will be helping Gemma [Wright] with the women’s side as well.”
Having been at the club the last few seasons, Flavel already has a head start on getting things underway for next season.
Aside from hearing his voice a bit more, he wasn’t planning on changing everything too much.
“Being there for three years I know a lot about the boys and how the club is run,” he said.
“We’ve got such a young talented list and I’m excited to work with the senior core with the majority of players sticking around.
“I’ll put a little change on the game plan and structure and the way I do things as we look to keep improving on the same level we have the last few years.”
The Tigers finished fourth this year, knocked out in the first week of finals.
Flavel said they would look to add a few players, having already signed Rex Hickman and Shaun Knott.
He said both had been really good so far.
Now with things in place, Flavel is keen to get down to work.
“I’m pretty organised and we’ve got a meet the coach night next week,’ he said.
“We’ve got a lot of things in place.”
