NEW Deakin University coach Dave Atkinson believes his experience studying at the Sherwood Park campus will help him relate to his youthful charges.
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Atkinson will coach the Sharks in 2015 after incumbent Matt Lenehan stepped down from the role last month for personal reasons.
The 33-year-old grew up in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs but shifted to Warrnambool to study teaching and has lived in the region since.
He is a former Deakin University co-coach, having mentored alongside current president Luke Jackson in 2008-09, and is a life member of the club.
Atkinson said his experience living on-campus and playing with the Sharks meant he was a good fit for a club in need of a change in fortunes.
The Sharks rose up the ladder with six wins in 2013 but dropped to second last with two wins in 2014, during a campaign in which Lenehan replaced Trent Anderson mid-season.
“I’ve been in their situation. I’ve been a student, I’ve lived across the road and walked to training for three or four years,” Atkinson said.
“I’ve had the opportunity to leave and find work but chose to stick it out. I’ve been a senior player, I’ve been a captain. It doesn’t matter who comes to me, I think I’m in a pretty good position to relate to them and the players have told me the same thing.”
Atkinson was interviewed for the Deakin University coaching job before club officials appointed Lenehan, who was an assistant in 2013.
But Lenehan came back a week later saying he could not commit enough time to the role, with the Sharks moving swiftly to sign Atkinson.
The Woodford Primary School teacher is the first non-playing coach of the club since Matt O’Brien was at the helm in 2004. “I’m at an age where I’ve got no kids, I’m not playing cricket this year — I’m usually out at Hawkesdale — so I’ve got time on my hands,” Atkinson said.
“I have the pre-season to get the boys fit. We put it to them pretty bluntly everything needs to be done before round one, fitness and commitment wise.
“We’re going to be hitting round one with a fully-committed side, not 30 blokes turning up three weeks before the season.”
Epitomising that notion, Atkinson said 22 Sharks sweated through a pre-season fitness session this week.
He said there would be few external recruits, confident of improvement within — “I’m looking at every player on the list and asking them to be better”.
Lenehan said he was uncertain if he would play on in 2015.
He said he was grateful for the club’s attitude following his resignation.
“I haven’t even thought about (playing). I’ll sit down and go through my options and go from there,” he said.
“I still love my footy. I hope to play in some capacity. As to that capacity, I’m unsure.
“Personal issues are more important than my footy. A few times I’ve put footy before a lot of things, but this time I’ve put life before footy.”