Eight new coaches will be involved in the 2019 NPL Tasmania competition.
South
Hobart’s Ken Morton is the only man to retain his job.
Following
the withdrawal of Northern Rangers, the 2019 NPL Tasmania competition will have
nine teams, thus necessitating a bye each week.
This
means there will either be 16 or 24 rounds (probably the latter).
The
coaches for 2019 are:
Devonport City:
Rick Coghlan (replacing Chris Gallo)
South Hobart:
Ken Morton
Hobart Zebras:
David Smith (replacing Gabriel Markaj)
Launceston City:
Peter Sawdon (replacing Jez Kenth)
Olympia Warriors:
Rob Clarke (replacing Dale Itchins)
Kingborough Lions United:
Greg Calvert (replacing Mark Broadbent)
Clarence United:
Warren Burt (replacing Alan Jablonski)
Glenorchy Knights:
James Sherman (replacing Franco Previdi)
Riverside Olympic:
Alex Gaetani (replacing Lynden Prince)
Such a
huge turnover of coaches does not augur well for the competition.
Any
style of play favoured by a club will go out the window as the new men in
charge seek to stamp their mark on their team and the game.
South
Hobart and Glenorchy Knights will be the exception.
South
Hobart are the epitome of stability going into the 2019 season, with Ken Morton
in charge for over a decade, so expect big things from them.
Newly
promoted Glenorchy Knights also have a form of stability with James Sherman having
been assistant to Franco Previdi last season and so his style will be familiar
to the players.
Recruitment
of players will also be a key factor, particularly with the coaching changes
that have occurred.
If a
club can keep most of their players and recruit a few new good players, the new
coach’s job will be a lot easier.
