Nicol near decision on future
NEWCOMB coach Rory Nicol is weighing up an offer to coach on next season.
The former VFL development coach at Werribee is nearing the end of his initial three-year contract and has a two-year extension on the table from the BFL club.
But Nicol, a business owner and father of three, is yet to decide whether he wants to go on.
“They want me to stay on, they’ve offered me two years but it just a matter of working out whether I’m the right man for the job and if I’ve got the energy to do it,” he said.
“I’ve got to make sure they’re not sick of me, not sick of my voice. If the players are energetic to go again and up and about for next year then I feel I would be too.
“I still believe Newcomb can play finals next year if we bring in the right people.”
The Power has improved under Nicol’s tutelage, considering it had not won a game for more than two seasons before he took the reins at the start of 2016.
This year, through 15 rounds, the Power has won two and the average losing margin has dropped to 75.
Injuries have crushed the club, but Nicol has signed up 16 senior players for next season and is hopeful that number increases by season’s end.
“There’s an element, too, that the job’s not done yet,” he said. “I was hoping to win five or six games this year. But we’ve only had our best side on the field once, against Portarlington at Port.
“Our average age is probably 21, 22. We’ve probably got the majority of the group haven’t played 50 games yet.
“When I took over, Portarlington was beating Newcomb by over 100 points. We’ve got to remember where we’ve come from; it just takes time.”
Cellar dwellers Newcomb and Portarlington play each other today.