Warriors gear up for new leader

LIFE after Luciano Trani will start for the North Geelong Warriors today when they face Moreland City at home.

All eyes will be on how the players respond on the pitch after a tumultuous week when their esteemed coach left, citing his desire to explore a higher level of coaching.

It was a move that shocked and angered Warriors staff and players after Trani made sweeping changes when he signed last October, including the implementation of an ALeague-style training program, a turnover of youth and junior coaches, and a club-wide commitment to high-level standards in an attempt to assert a sense of professionalism within the recently relegated NPL2 club.

Under-20s coach Nathan Rogers will manage the club in the interim and said it had been an emotional week for the playing group.

“They were disappointed because Luc talked about family and brotherhood and that was his big focus,” Rogers said.

“Luc is a very technical coach, he’s very theorised. Everything is thought out and well planned, and I suppose that comes from his assistant coaching in the A-League.

“He focused on a lot of that and the players feel a bit of disbelief that he left because he instilled so much of it the changeroom that they feel disappointed he could do that.”

Rogers flagged he would assert his own influence on the playing group, hinting there may be some initial changes to this week’s starting 11.

“Look there’s been a bit of a laying down of the law . . . Luc didn’t want to enforce things as hard as he could have if he knew he was staying, so I’ve had to put my foot down a little bit,” he said.

“They’re all very confident they can get the structure back in their football and we’ll see what they can do with a different style.

“You’ll see some changes to the playing squad (today).”

The club’s intensive training program will also be modified, with the playing group deciding they are more comfortable with training three nights rather than continuing Trani’s four-night-a-week program.

“They’ve had a consensus vote and they’ve decided to bring it back to NPL level. The players are more comfortable with that for now,“Rogers said.

In another twist, Rogers is ineligible to coach from the bench after he was suspended for verbal abuse towards an opposition assistant coach in last week’s under-20s clash against Langwarrin.

The club is considering its options in regards to an appeal and there has been no temporary coach named at this stage to fill in for him if the suspension stands.

Rogers said the club had full faith in him to manage the side through this difficult period, with the process of looking for a new manager underway.

“The club is 100 per cent supportive of me, there’s no concern about the result,” he said.

“Let’s get the team back on track, overcome these few hurdles and then figure out what we do with the whole squad.

“Under a head coach it can be hard as a youth coach. They only think of the results and protecting their job.

“I’ve always been a coach for the player and the badge, not for my own achievement. I have no ambition to go anywhere.”

Trani declined to comment.