Shepp News |
Being a coach is something Brent Colbert has always wanted to do — he just didn’t think it would happen so soon.
The Seymour skipper will next year be the side’s player-coach, after the decision by Shane Robertson to step down.
Colbert, 30, a Lions premiership player and best-and-fairest winner also wants to make one thing clear.
‘‘The group and myself are fully committed to Robbo for the remainder of the season,’’ he said.
‘‘My job doesn’t start until we’re out of contention.’’
Robertson called his skipper some weeks ago to tell him he was standing down. The wheels were in motion.
Colbert has been preparing to be a coach for some time. He’s been keeping notes at home about stuff he’s learned from Robertson and predecessor Bernie Haberman, things he likes especially.
‘‘(Seymour president Gerard O’Sullivan) wanted me to be on the selection panel for the new coach and then he mentioned he wanted a playing coach,’’ Colbert said.
‘‘From my point of view I always had an ambition to coach eventually but hadn’t thought about a player-coach role, it hadn’t come up.
‘‘I thought to myself I might be a candidate and then spoke to my wife. It was obviously going to be an important commitment and I got the okay. I told (Lions vice-president Rod Chisholm) I was keen to do it, then Gerbs (O’Sullivan) told me (two days later) the job’s mine.’’
