Titan’s finals hopes in focus

By Alesha Capone

New Tarneit Football Club coach Brent Sheean is tipping the team will likely improve on this year’s performance to reach the 2022 finals.

The Titans last week announced Sheean, who spent four years as a playing-assistant coach at Point Cook Centrals, as its head coach for the upcoming Western Region Football League season.

While Sheean was at the Centrals, the club achieved the 2018 division 3 premiership.

He also received the leaguebest and fairest and the Henry Turner Medal for best on ground in the grand final.

Prior to this, Sheean played division 1 football at Hoppers Crossing and spent time on Werribee VFL’s list in 2009-10.

Sheean said that becoming the Titans’ head coach has fulfilled a long-held personal ambition for him.

“For me, I’m 32, I’ve been playing for a long time,” he said

“In the end my goal was to become a senior coach, have my own team and become successful in my own right as a senior coach.”

Sheean said that his personal values aligned the Titans’ values of being united, accountable and driven, and that he was keen to help develop the club’s young members as both players and people into the future.

In addition, Sheean said that when he was at the Centrals and worked with senior coach Darren Findlay, overseeing the players was a collaborative effort between them.

“He gave me a lot of power to mentor and develop players and their game style as well,” Sheean said.

He said this experience would assist his leadership in bringing up the Titans’ players for next season.

Sheean said the Titans’ senior side finished “just outside the finals” this year, when the season was forced to an end about three-quarters of the way through due to the state government’s COVID-19 lockdown.

“Coming out of restrictions … I think everyone is looking forward to having a full pre-season and a full season,” Sheean said.

The new Titans’ senior coach said he would “definitely be pushing” for the team “to make an impact at the finals” in 2022.

“I’m pretty bullish at turning things around pretty quickly,” he said.

“My aim is to take the team to the finals and from there anything can happen.”

Sheean said that in the short time said has been with the Titans, he has been impressed by the “a very tight-knit group” group of senior players who are very much like “a team of brothers”.

He may even occasionally join his players on the field.

“First and foremost it’s about coaching, but I may slip on the boots now and then too,” Sheean said.

The club’s pre-season training is held on Mondays and Wednesdays at Wootten Road Reserve, Tarneit from 6pm.

Details: www.facebook.com/tarneitfootballclub

By Alesha Capone