General News
25 August, 2021
Bombers mentor sounds siren on coaching
A NEW coach will lead Cobden’s 2022 Hampden Football Netball League campaign following Adam Courtney’s decision to step aside from the role.
A NEW coach will lead Cobden’s 2022 Hampden Football Netball League campaign following Adam Courtney’s decision to step aside from the role.
The third-year coach is standing down due to work and family reasons, with a recent change of employment impacting his ability to coach the club at his desiredcapacity.
Courtney, who led Simpson to back-to-back premierships in 2014 and 2015, informed his players of his decision ahead of their final home and away game last week.
“I can’t put the time into coaching anymore and I probably wasn’t finding the right balance between the farm, family and footy so obviously one had to give and that was football,” he said.
“It’s been a pretty tough three years, two with COVID effectively around and then an injury-plagued list in my first year but that was part and parcel of how it went.
“It’s time for someone else to take on the role and get what I think is a pretty talented list up to the fitness level they need to be to be competitive at Hampden league level and see how they go.”
Charged with overseeing a rebuild from his first season, Courtney set about changing the Bombers training habits and implementing a more defensive game style.
While he believes he made inroads into both areas, he feels those foundations have not entirely come to fruition yet although he is confident the club will reap the full rewards in coming seasons.
“I watched Cobden a little bit the year before (2018) and in the past used a very attacking game style and I’ve always been a believer that you need really good defensive accountability in your side to be able to compete in the finals,” Courtney said.
“I think the fitness levels last year were up 15 to 20 per cent heading into the start of the year and then COVID hit and probably realistically the boys haven’t come back to that point yet but hopefully they can get to that point in the future.
“They’ve got to commit to get really fit and come to the start of pre-season with a really good base behind them because there was probably a few games this year where fitness cost us a couple of wins.
“There’s a lot of talent there and I still believe if they can flick that switch to putting a lot of time into their fitness then being that consistent finals performer is there for them.”
Having coached at two clubs – Simpson and Cobden – Courtney is now calling time on his coaching career.
“I’m really grateful for the chance to be able to coach Hampden league footy,” he said.
“Obviously I’ve been lucky enough to coach two clubs I’ve been a part of through a lot of my time in Simpson and Cobden.
“It hasn’t panned out the way I hoped it would, but to get the opportunity and have the chance to improve some players, which I hope I have, has been enjoyable.
“Not many people do get the chance to coach the two clubs they have a lot of fond memories at so that was good.”
Courtney wished the club all the best for the future and said he hoped the Bombers netball sides gets their chance to play for a premiership if a return is permitted following the recent COVID lockdown.