Weekly Times |THE Wangaratta Magpies are still dreaming of a finals berth after a turbulent start to the season that saw the Ovens and Murray league club lose its senior coach Mark Knobel.
Entering his third year as Wangaratta’s senior coach, Knobel parted ways with the club last week, saying he wanted a better life balance.
Brendan Cairns, a former premiership player with Wangaratta, was thrust into the role at the weekend to oversee the Magpies’ stirring performance against powerhouse Albury.
Wangaratta led at the 12-minute mark of final quarter before going down by 21 points.
Cairns has been appointed senior coach for the remainder of the season.
He said he was “satisfied” with the effort against Albury, but not with the result.
Despite starting the season with three losses, Cairns said the club’s preseason goal of finals football had not been abandoned.
“The reality is we are zip and three, and sitting on the bottom of the ladder,” he said.
“We finished sixth last year, though, so the goals and the aspirations of the playing group are to still play finals football.”
Although Cairns has had minor coaching experience with Ovens and King club Tarrawingee, he is yet to complete the Level 1 coaching accreditation required to be an Ovens and Murray league senior coach.
AFL North East Border region general manager John O’Donohue said when the issue developed last week his staff worked with Cairns and the club to make sure he could receive the accreditation as soon as possible.
O’Donohue said Cairns was working with the AFL North East Border Coaches Association and football development manager Jeff Chandler.
“We haven’t got an issue with Brendan’s status as a coach ... and everything is in place for him to be accredited in the next couple of weeks, which is consistent with what the rules provide for,” he said.
