New coaching duo aiming to get Tigers roaring again
IT is the dawn of a new era for the Hobart Football Club with the appointment of Alex Gilmour as playing coach and Brad Joseph as playing assistant coach.
Gilmour, a former Richmond AFL draftee, Devils VFL star and two-time Old Scholars Richmond premiership coach, will be in charge for the next two years at least. He coached the Blues for five years, taking them to four grand finals, but faces a big task in reviving the SFL Tigers which failed to win a game this year.
Gilmour, 33 and fresh off booting 100 goals last season, said it was a big decision to move, but after five years the change was right for him and the club. “It is a big challenge, no doubt about it, but we want to put a lot of time into our under-19s and get those kids developed so they can experience senior football.
“Let’s not forget Hobart in 2018 won nine games of football, and then lost six of their top eight players for the following year.
“If we can have an influx of four to eight players, which we think we are going to get, we think we can jump back up reasonably quickly. But it is not a Band-Aid fix — it is a two-three year plan to have some sustained success.”
Having had a long coaching career already, Gilmour now wants to take it as far as he can go.
“My wife, Nikki, is really pushing me to pursue it as far as I can get.
“It has been a nice easy fit for Richmond for the past five years. “But I see this as a step up. “The comps are pretty similar.
“But the responsibilities here at Hobart overseeing a big football department and trying to get them from the bottom of the ladder up into the finals is going to be a big job.
“Where it goes over that I’m not too sure but I’d really like to progress through the ranks.”