Sport
22 September, 2022
Magpies re-appoint Swayn
CAMPERDOWN Football Netball Club has re-appointed Neville Swayn as senior coach.
CAMPERDOWN Football Netball Club has re-appointed Neville Swayn as senior coach.
In what will be his fifth season at the helm, Swayn said he was looking forward to 2023 and the start of the Hampden League season.
“It’s fair to say we certainly didn’t achieve as many wins as we’d hoped this year – finishing the season in ninth – but we’ll be working hard to bridge the gap next season,” Swayn said.
While Swayn is confident the Magpies will retain the majority of its playing group, Swayn said they will be looking to recruit five or six new faces.
“We have a committed playing group, the majority of which are locals, and I’m confident we can retain most,” he said.
“We also need to make sure we recruit well so that we can bridge the gap and get back up to where we want to be.
“It was certainly a challenging year, following a period of Covid uncertainty and stoppages, but we feel we’re on the right path and this season we managed to blood quite a few of our juniors which is a positive for the club moving forward.”
Reflecting on this season, Swayn said while it had been “unfortunate” the seniors were unable to notch up a few more wins early in the year, he was pleased with how the side finished off the home and away rounds.
“We were really starting to gel well towards the end of the year and we played some really good football in the second half of the season,” Swayn said.
“We just need to come out firing and get some wins on the board early.”
Looking to season 2023, Swayn is confident the club can field an under 18.5 side after an absence this season, with many of the existing 16s set to move up an age bracket.
“I believe we’ll have quite a few of the 16s moving up to the 18.5s next year so that will be exciting for the club – to once again be able to field a side in that competition,” Swayn said.
Swayn will be supported by past premiership player Troy Stephens as assistant coach.
“It will be great to work alongside Troy and bounce off ideas,” he said.
“Next season will be our first working together and I’m looking forward to that. Troy played in our 1999/2000 premiership sides and I’m sure he (like me) will also be hungry to string some wins together and get us back playing finals.”
Swayn said the players would now enjoy a break away from the ground before returning for a few sessions sometime in November.
“We’ll have a few sessions before Christmas and then really get stuck into a solid pre-season early in the new year,” he said.