Dream gig for Jason
All set for Lions job
INCOMING Leopold coach Jason Tom has revealed the desire to be in charge of a senior team has always burned within him and says the opportunity to take the reins of his former club was a no-brainer.
Tom was this week appointed as Guy Morphet’s replacement and will work with GFL coaching great Paul Lynch to help the Lions maintain their standing as one of the competition’s strongest clubs.
The 33-year-old, who retired from playing after claiming a premiership with Bannockburn this year (where he was also coaching the under-19s) said he had always wanted to coach and now that he had more time was ready to dip his toe in the water.
“I’ve always had a passion for coaching and even without titles I have tried to do a bit of it in my years at Leopold and in the past few years at Bannockburn,” Tom said.
“Up until now, though, I haven’t had the opportunity to commit myself to a coaching role with family and work commitments, but having given up playing it frees up a bit of time and my family and work-life is at a position now where I have some great support from my partner and parents.
“My young boy is seven now so I can bring him to the footy whereas I couldn’t do that previously, so that has all fallen into line.
“I was enjoying my work at
Bannockburn with the under-19s but this is too good an opportunity to pass up. To coach with a bloke like Lynchy and to work with this leadership group, it was a no-brainer.”
Tom grew up as a Lions junior and was an assistant to Steve Clark, although he had moved on by the time Clark guided them to the 2016 premiership.
The former goalkicking star said the fact he was walking into an established culture would make life easier in his first stint as a senior coach.
But he said Leopold still had work ahead of it despite some strong off-season recruiting.
“A lot of the guys out there are my closest friends at the footy club and I speak to them regularly, and when ‘ Morph’ stepped away I said ‘whoever gets the job is going to be blessed’ because they are walking into a club that has such a strong list,” Tom said.
“They have already recruited four or five players and have added some really talented youngsters to the squad.
“The numbers have been upwards of 50 at training in a program run by the leadership group so that is an impressive sign that the club is in good hands and in a strong position.”