Weekly Times |NATHAN Pegler will tick off some big milestones for Lakes Entrance this year.
The 29-year-old, who has played his whole senior football career with the Seagulls, has taken over the senior coaching role for the first time this season.
Having cut his teeth on the job during the pre-season, he was excited — and a little bit daunted — for the East Gippsland league season to kick off this weekend.
Lakes Entrance will line up against last year’s semi-finalist Paynesville in a Saturday night match.
Pegler said he was involved in trying to recruit a new senior coach to the club last year, then the committee approached him about taking the role on.
“I’ve coached the under-18s before, and coaching was something I wanted to do again,” the veteran said.
“I didn’t think it was going to be just yet, because I’m still playing, but I went away on a holiday and had a think about it and talked to my partner and was really keen to take it on and try to build the club up again.”
Pegler, a two-time club best-and-fairest winner, is also set to play his 200th senior game this year.
He said the Seagulls were found out with the depth of their squad last year but was happy to have kept most of the group, and welcomed back some former players as well as four players from the Tiwi Islands.
Lakes Entrance won seven matches last year and the seniors last played finals in 2011.
The Seagulls won the premiership in 2003 — Pegler won an under-17 premiership the same year.
“I need a premiership then I can retire,” he said, joking.