NORTH Warrnambool Eagles are casting a wide net as they try and lure a new coach but the answer could be much closer to home.
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Former Eagle Mathew Buck, who was an assistant coach with premier Koroit this season, is considered by many league observers as a leading contender.
The Eagles were left without a coach when Bernard Moloney stepped down on Monday night because of health reasons.
In keeping with the long-held football tradition of raiding the competition benchmark’s stocks, Buck is the logical target at premier Koroit, having played a significant role under coaching mastermind Adam Dowie in the Saints’ upset grand final win.
The Saints are reluctant to lose Buck, who works as a schoolteacher in Koroit, but they know he harbours senior coaching ambitions.
A Koroit insider yesterday described Buck as the right man for a senior coaching job.
“Absolutely he’s ready,” the anonymous source said. “He couldn’t have been more impressive in the premiership this year with his communication skills, knowledge of the game and training drills. He’s very impressive. He ticks all the boxes.”
Buck, who declined to comment, is a ready-made replacement for Moloney. He has successfully coached at under 14, under 18 and reserves levels, as well as playing in Terang Mortlake’s 2004 premiership side under Dowie. The following year when the Bloods won the flag, Buck was on the bench assisting Dowie due to an injury.
Work brought him to the Eagles, where he was an on-field leader before assuming bench duties because of a second knee reconstruction. He left the Eagles after the 2013 season to further his coaching credentials at Koroit with Dowie.
His apprenticeship under Dowie could be a big selling point, with Dowie the only man in Hampden league history to coach premierships at three different clubs. One of his previous assistants, Warrnambool’s Scott Carter, is now a two-time premiership coach.
Buck is widely respected among his former teammates at the Eagles and his work this year at Koroit has been praised by players.
Other names likely to be on the Eagles’ list are assistant coach Brendan Murfett, former assistants Herb Barlow and Tim Sheldon and interleague assistant coach Shane Threlfall. Eagles football director Michael Harrison said the club was working through its processes and declined to comment on likely candidates.
“We are not afraid to make a phone call,” he said.
“We’ve had a few knockbacks and we will probably get more but we are talking to people.”
The search is not only confined to Victoria with the club branching out into New South Wales.
Harrison said player numbers had been strong at training this week: 45 on Monday and 31 on Wednesday night.