New Wyndhamvale coach Chris Moreland is confident of rebuilding the newly relegated club back into a division one force in the coming years.
Moreland, who has signed on at the Falcons for the next two seasons, has spent the past six seasons playing for Geelong West Giants in the Geelong Football League. Prior to the Giants, he was at Bell Post Hill Football Club, where he was a premiership captain, winning three flags.
He said the challenge of rebuilding Wyndhamvale and taking on a senior coaching position was his main motivation for a move away from the Geelong football scene.
“I think after a while at Geelong West it was time for them to have someone new, and Wyndhamvale felt like a really good fit for me with a fresh start and a heap of kids there. I’m really excited by that,” Moreland said. “It wasn’t easy to leave, and a few people were upset, but I’ve been super lucky to play in the best country league in Victoria and now it’s time for some new challenges.”
While Wyndhamvale has had a tough few years, with just five wins over the past three seasons, Moreland said the gap back to division one competitiveness wasn’t as big as it seemed.
“If we get the right guys around this young list I think we can have a really good year in division two,” he said.
“If you look at some of the results this year, they lost to Altona by just 20 points, some other close losses, so I don’t think they’re that far off.
“We’ll learn as the year goes on, and I’m keen to play as many young kids as I can. Whether the rebuild happens in one year, two years or three years, I think once guys get confidence in the game plan and backing in their skills every week we’ll get there.”
Fans of Foxtel TV show The Recruit may remember Moreland from season one, where he progressed to the final three competitors after months of training with AFL great Michael Voss.
He said the lessons learned from that experience had formed a key part of his coaching style and the message he would be telling his new Falcons players.
“There were a few things I learnt from Vossy, just about maintaining certain things about your game and doing the one per centers,” Moreland said. “Everyone wants to learn how to win, but you can’t just rock up one day and win, you’ve got to do the work and do all the one per centers all the way through.
“So there’s a bit of knowing why we do these things and what we’re trying to get out of it. It’s exciting to share that stuff with this group.”
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