Tara Murray
It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for new Calder Cannons boys coach Andrew Sturgess.
Sturgess was getting prepared to start pre-season with Victorian Football League club Coburg, before the opportunity to join the Cannons presented itself.
Sturgess said he was excited to get the opportunity at the NAB League club.
“It’s come about really quickly and I’m really happy to be here,” he said.
“I’m excited to get started next week. The lay of the land, I have to wrap my head around everything.
“It’s an exciting time.”
All NAB League clubs this season will have full time boys and girls coaches for the first time.
Ross Smith, who coached both the boys and girls Cannons teams the last couple of years, remains the girls coach. He’s the longest current NAB League coach in the competition, having coached just the boys team previously as well.
Sturgess joins the Cannons having coached Coburg since 2020 after previously being playing-coach for Bundoora in the Northern Football League in 2019.
He said his ambition had been to work full time in the football industry.
“My ambition is to proceed ideally into a full time role at AFL club land,” he said.
“The pathway through the NAB League system adds to that, but it also depends on the calibre of the coach.
“It provides greater experience talking to AFL list managers and interaction with club land.
“Hopefully I have a long and fruitful career in the industry.”
Sturgess said it’s bittersweet taking on the Cannons role, as it means he has to depart Coburg.
He said he would be forever grateful to those at the club who had helped him and the club would always hold a special place in his heart.”
Sturgess has plenty of knowledge to pull on as he joins the Cannons, with Smith still involved, regional talent operations lead Matthew Burton also still on board.
He said he would look to use their knowledge of the group to help get an understanding of the players that have already been in the program.
“I’ll bring some things from the places I’ve been and look to enhance the place,” he said.
“My focus is to support the young boys under my care and help them through the football journey .
“Some will go to the AFL and some into the VFL… some back in the community football fold.
“I want to make it the most enjoyable football experience in their life, so they can look back and say that wasn’t a waste of time.”
The Cannons were set to get things underway last Tuesday night with a two-kilometre time trial, but that was cancelled due to the weather.
Training now starts this week.
“We’ll get the footies out on Monday,” Sturgess said.
“We’ll have 12 sessions before Christmas. We’ll sink our teeth into it.”
