SHARKIE JOINS BULLDOGS
New coach outlines his vision
A SELF-CONFESSED “footy head”, new Centrals Trinity Beach coach Wayne Sharkie was always going to coach when he eventually relocated to Cairns.
The veteran mentor with experience in several of the top suburban leagues in Melbourne has contemplated a move north over the last few years and finally pulled the trigger when approached to take on the clipboard and whistle at Crathern Park.
He met the players and the Bulldogs hierarchy in person for the first time over the weekend before officially taking over early next year.
“I am a real footy head, I cannot get away from it, I love it and have done for the past 20 years,” he said.
“I was going to be moving in the next 12 months regardless so I thought the time was right.”
Sharkie emailed all clubs, as well as AFL Cairns itself, in regards to opportunities within the competition but did not hear back from the Doggies initially.
While in Cairns a while back, Sharkie caught up with close mate and Centrals premiership player Geoff Donnelly who then put him in contact with Bulldogs president John Newell, and as they say, the rest is history.
He led Laurimar in 2017 in the Northern Football League Division 3 Seniors before crossing to St Mary’s in the same competition this year as an assistant, where they knocked over Panton Hill in the grand final.
Among his previous coaching roles have been assistant positions at Montmorency and Eastern Football League powerhouse Balwyn.
“As a coach, I want my teams to make other clubs walk off the ground knowing they have played us that week,” he said.
“My look at the competition is that there is a big difference between the top and bottom clubs.
“We even copped a few touch-ups last year but we want to be a team that will compete for four quarters every week and improve our consistency.”
Sharkie’s partner lives in Cairns and he has visited the region a handful of times every year over the last few years.
He will not move to Cairns permanently until the middle of January with returning Bulldog Jackson Williams to take much of the preseason block until then.
The Bulldogs have played finals footy for the past three seasons.