Timboon Demons' new playing coach might just be the biggest on-field recruit of the Warrnambool and District league off-season.
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David Johnston, a versatile centre half-forward, has played 45 senior matches in the West Australian Football League (WAFL).
The 29-year-old played with both Swan Districts and Perth football clubs.
He said there were lessons he had learnt in the WAFL that he could bring to the Demons.
"Just little things like you've always got to be in the game," he said.
"If you miss a kick, you can't just stand there and worry about it, you've got to move onto the next contest straight away.
"And try and rectify if you've made a mistake."
Johnston comes to the Dees hungry for a premiership.
He has won a WAFL colts flag but is yet to taste the ultimate success at senior level.
The tall has played in three losing senior grand finals.
"That's what I'm trying to get," he said.
"Hopefully we can do it here."
We're not going to put any ceiling on what we can achieve so we're going to have a real crack at it.
- David Johnston
Johnston said the Demons were chasing more recruits but would focus on home-grown talent.
"We're going to focus on what we've got in Timboon and around Timboon," he said.
"We've got some players coming back from different leagues.
"We're really going to develop those young guys that got their opportunities last season - through a little bit of a lack of success - but push those guys further and really build from the ground up.
"We're not going to put any ceiling on what we can achieve so we're going to have a real crack at it."
Johnston, who grew up south of Bunbury, broke his leg playing for Perth at the start of the 2016 season.
He returned to the field in 2017 with Wagin Football Club in the Upper Great Southern Football League (WA).
He was a senior coach for the first time with Canning South Perth Football Club in the WA amateurs in 2018.
Johnston had a stint with NEAFL outfit Northern Territory Thunder in Darwin this year.
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The new coach moved to Timboon at the start of the month with his wife Shenai and his boys - two-year-old Harry and seven-month-old Patrick.
Johnston said he and Shenai, who both love footy, had always wanted to live in Victoria.
"As soon as we started talking to the footy club and were looking at the area, we thought it was a good match," he said.
"We really liked it and we thought we'd move here."
Johnston, who has lived in some of the hottest parts of Australia, said he liked living in Timboon.
"It's green," he said with a smile.
"We like the climate, the people have been really nice so far."
The diesel mechanic is currently working on a dairy farm about five minutes out of the town.
Johnston said he learnt plenty from first experience as a senior coach in 2018.
"Being a playing coach, it was hard to get the balance right at the start," he said.
"I learnt a lot from that experience so hopefully I can bring that here."
Johnston takes the reins from playing coach Marcus Hickey who led for one season.
The new coach enjoyed a meet and greet with players and supporters earlier this month.
"We got some good numbers to that which was a good start," Johnston said.
Timboon Demons' pre-season resumes on Monday, January 6.
The Dees finished eighth this year with four wins and 12 losses.
They lost a semi-final to Kolora-Noorat in 2018.
The club last won a senior football premiership in 2008 when it defeated Kolora-Noorat.
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