Ambitious O’Keefe prepared to stay the distance

PREMIERSHIP coach Daniel O’Keefe says aspirations to coach in the AFL system will be put on hold to remain at the Geelong Falcons.

At 28 and in his first season as Falcons coach, O’Keefe led the club to its first flag since 2000 in Sunday night’s TAC Cup decider.

The former Geelong Fal- cons captain was a first-round draft pick to Sydney in 2006 but never played a senior game, with injuries curtailing his three years at the Swans.

Speaking from premiership celebrations at The Cremorne Hotel, O’Keefe said he hoped one day he would make it back into the AFL system.

“From an individual point of view, I feel I’ve got unfinished business in that system as a player,” he said.

“It would be nice and there’s a burning ambition there for it to happen.

“But at the same time, you’re in the moment. I work, I’ve got a family on the way and I’ve got the Falcons here — if I think selfishly for my own development, I’m better off being here for a couple of years in the Falcons system.

“That’s always been the case; I’ve always wanted to be in this position for a few years.

“This time last year when I got the job, which was here at The Cremorne, I wanted to do it for a long time and not just a short period of time because I’ve got a lot of grassroots here and a lot of fond memories — and even more now.”

While celebrations would stretch over the next few weeks, O’Keefe said that preparations for next year would start soon.

“With something like this, especially, we’ll make sure we do celebrate it. And that’s not drinking beers, that’s being together, having a staff lunch today, we’ll go see the boys later on this arvo, Wednesday we’ve got our team photo ... then you’ve got presentation night,” he said.

“But the year does come around pretty quickly, so we’ll have our recruiting meeting in a couple of weeks’ time in regards to getting the list of 120 invites out and we’ll go from there.”

It includes replacing forward coach David Farrell, who has taken the senior coaching job at South Barwon.

“We’re already in talks with what we’re going to be doing with movements,” O’Keefe said.

“Mick (Turner), historically, has always promoted within and we’ll look to do something very similar with that.”