Roxburgh Park Broadmeadows grand final captain-coach Mitch Johnstone is hoping to have a clearer idea of his coaching future this week after parting ways with the Falcons.
On Wednesday the Victorian Sub-district Cricket Association club released a statement saying that a difference of opinion between club management and Johnstone had led to the split.
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Johnstone is in the running for the coaching job at Premier Cricket club Greenvale and just recently began talks with fellow sub-district club Werribee, which is hoping to join Premier Cricket in 2016-17.
Johnstone met with Tigers officials on Thursday. He told Star Weekly it had been a tough couple of days.
“We’ve [Roxburgh Park] had a difference of opinions. I’m ambitious and want to coach premier cricket,” Johnstone said.
He said the Falcons were “doing what is best for them” and he had always been up front with the club.
Johnstone, who said the Greenvale job was his preferred destination, admitted there was an element of risk.
“I guess there’s uncertainty of [being part of] Premier Cricket [with the Tigers],” he said.
“But there is also the possible merger between VSDCA and VTCA [Victorian Turf Cricket Association] – I’m not the only one who has uncertainty as no one knows what will happen.
“There is an element of risk but I’ve done my due diligence.”
Johnstone said he was hoping to know his coaching future this week.
Falcons president Ben Wood said the news that Premier Cricket could expand with the introduction of two more teams in the 2016-17 season had changed everything for Johnstone and the club.
“For about a week and a half, Werribee has been talking to him,” Wood said.
“Mitch disclosed this to us … they were offering him the chance to be the club’s first premier coach in 2016-17. Our agreement was he could explore premier options – the question we say is, where is Werribee playing next season?”
Wood said the club gave Johnstone a deadline to stop talks with Werribee. The Falcons offered Johnstone a five year contract if he pulled out of the talks.
“We said: ‘You aren’t walking into an interview for a job with a [VSDCA] club having a job with us’.
“Mitch decided he still wanted to explore the Werribee role.”
Wood said the club was likely to announce a new coach in the coming weeks.
“We have a couple of people really interested and will be in a position to pull the trigger in the next week or so.”
