Matthew Peake will return as coach but is unsure if he'll pull on the red and white guernsey for another year.
SOUTH Warrnambool last night signed Matthew Peake to a second year as senior coach but the 36-year-old is unsure if he will continue as a player.
Peake, who took the helm this year, signed a one-year extension with the Roosters last night.
He revealed the club had also secured a commitment from premiership co-captain Jarrod Thompson, the subject of at least one other club’s interest, that he would be with the Roosters next season as a player. But work commitments left his role as an assistant coach up in the air, Peake said.
Peake took the defending premier to a pre-season competition win, before a series of injuries hit. The Roosters lost the last four matches to finish six. Peake said he wanted to take the club back into the five next year.
“I’m pumped, I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
He said he was unsure about his own playing future, having battled a degenerative knee complaint all season.
“At this stage I will approach it as though I’m a non-playing coach,” he said.
But he said he did not want to hold a younger player out of the side if the Roosters had leaders on the park.
Peake said the Roosters were in the market for a “couple” of key defenders and needed to rebuild their depth.
“Our kids had a go and there are a handful of others who are talked about and never got an opportunity. They are the unknown. The unknown is exciting,” he said.
The first priority was retaining this year’s list.
Peake said 2012 was below expectations.
“It was a disappointing result all round for our senior side,” he said. “At the end of the day you can have all the excuses in the world and we had a lot of injuries, but in 10 years’ time all people are going to see is that South missed the finals. They won’t remember we had a lot of injuries.”