NEW Corowa-Rutherglen coach Shaun Mooney won’t be playing it safe at his new club next season.
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The Roos have appointed a new board, a new president and a new coach as they try to revamp their image and Mooney, the new face of John Foord Oval, said now was the right time for the Roos to make some bold moves — they owed it to the Corowa-Rutherglen community.
“Where the club is at the moment — we need to take risks,” Mooney said.
“There’s a new board, a new president, the facilities are being upgraded and changes are being made to the uniform so there are a lot of things happening off-field as well as on-field at the club.
“In a way it will be interesting to see how we go managing both things but I believe that you’ve got to be successful off-field before you can be successful on-field.”
Coaching perennial East Gippsland powerhouse Bairnsdale to successive premierships is one thing, but taking charge of a struggling Corowa-Rutherglen side in its hour of need is an entirely different proposition.
Despite plenty of public conjecture surrounding his appointment, Mooney fully understands what he has signed up for.
“I’m under no illusions that it’s going to be tough,” he said.
“But as far as I’m concerned life is all about challenges and I’m definitely not scared or daunted by the task that I’ve got in front of me.
“For me, it was all about getting that opportunity at a higher level of football and I am looking forward to that challenge.
“The town itself and the support the football club receives is fantastic and I think it’s time that as a footy club we dig deep and give it our best for the community.”
Although the 24-year-old possesses a youthful confidence and strong sense of ambition, Mooney won’t be sweeping aside those who have built the club up to where it is today as he looks to make his mark on the border.
“I’ve had meetings with some of the older guys at the club and the feedback has been really good,” Mooney said.
“It’s really important that when you move to a new club you talk to and touch base with the current players of that club and draw on their experiences before you go out and talk to some new potential players.”
The former Gippsland Power vice-captain also hopes to speak with his predecessor Peter Tossol in the not too distant future.
“Obviously he (Tossol) is a very experienced coach and highly regarded,” Mooney said.
“He has had a lot of success over the years and there is no doubt that I have got big shoes to fill — but I’m looking forward to that challenge.
“I’ll seek some advice from him as the year goes on and I look forward to meeting him and helping the club move forward.”
Mooney, who got his first taste of senior football with Maffra in 2004, fully understands the level of commitment required to successfully coach an Ovens and Murray club.
“To be successful in this competition you’ve got to work really hard because there are some great players and great coaches who we will definitely be respecting,” Mooney said.
“We need to learn from the other clubs in the area because for us to be successful in the future we need to beat them at their own game.”
Corowa-Rutherglen will start preseason training next Wednesday.
