Swans look to fly higher and higher
SOUTH Barwon co- coach James Garvey believes continual renewal at the top job is helping keep the club a GFL powerhouse.
The Swans, who have won six of the past eight premierships, w i l l have Casey Tutungi step into the coaching role left vacant when Josh McCann stepped down after one year.
Tutungi, after four years playing in the VFL, will become the seventh South Barwon co-coach since 2008.
The club has not had a stand- alone senior coach since Dale Amos in 2007.
‘‘I definitely think it helps, it helps keep it fresh,’’ Garvey said.
‘‘It (coaching panel) has changed a fair bit over the last 10 years, but the senior players have been fairly constant and the group’s been fairly constant, with one or two major changes probably rolling through every two or three years
‘‘But from a point of view of keeping it fresh, Casey’s played a lot of VFL footy over the last three or four years, so (it was) an opportunity to bring that back as well.’’
Tutungi said he did not feel pressure stepping into the role at a club that has achieved so much success in recent years.
‘‘The support’s there for the coaches and the people around that, so it’s a successful club for a reason and hopefully that can continue,’’ Tutungi said.
‘‘The good thing about it is they usually keep it in-house – they give guys who have been here for a period of time the opportunity and that grows the playing group so that maybe someone else will do it in a few years time.
‘‘I’m rapt to be involved at South Barwon full- time. I always thought that coaching would be something I’d enjoy. I enjoy working with my friends and learning new ways and improving. Being able to communicate and teach young guys to become better as a team is something I enjoy.’’
Garvey said keeping most of the 2012 premiership list intact had been made easier by the arrival of Geelong champion Matthew Scarlett.
‘‘ It’s definitely going to help us over the next three or four weeks when we’re talking to our current list and any future potential recruits – here’s your chance to play with a guy that’s been an AllAustralian, played in three premierships down at Geelong and is a champion of the game,’’ he said.
‘‘It definitely helps from our end.
‘‘Obviously, Coggsy’s (Paul Corrigan) retired, which leaves a massive hole from a leadership point of view and a playing point of view, but then guys will get opportunities elsewhere and might want to play at higher levels.
‘‘So we’ve just got to wait and see how much of that list we can retain and then look to see who we need to try and recruit.’’