Kerry’s winning form
‘17 champ back at Diehards
The Dalby Diehards have added winning DNA to the fold in their bid to return to the pinnacle of the TRL Premiership.
Kerry Carmichael, coach of the 2017 premiership winning side, returns to the helm of the Diehards as they look to capitalise on a thriving era in the town.
Since their success, Dalby has progressed to the second week of the finals in consecutive years, and Carmichael hopes they can go a few steps further in 2020.
“When you get one or two players that can be enough to take you over the edge,” he said.
“We’ve lost a couple though with Blake Mara going and Tom Boland working away and being back every few weeks.
“Our goal at the start of the year is to make the finals. We’re a strong club with a good supporter base and facilities. That should always be our goal.
“We’re looking to get a couple more players over the line, but if we don’t, we’ll still be competitive and won’t be far from the five come finals time.”
While taking a back-seat from coaching in recent times, Carmichael still paid close attention to the fortunes of the Diehards.
It’s why he’s opted to take a different approach to the pre-season than most clubs, with the side beginning training last night.
“I know that it’s going to be a long season, so we decided not to start training until mid January,” he said.
“It will be a tough period leading up to round one, but we should be ready to go for the openings fixture.
“We want to get a lot done in this period that can help towards the back end of the season.
“I watched a few of the games last year and they looked flat, which is why we wanted to give them some time away.”
Carmichael believes captain Steve Franciscus will again be a key asset to the side, with an eye to transitioning to a coaching role in the future.
“I think his best year for Dalby was last year. If he can give us another one of those it would be fantastic,” he said.
“I know Steve wants to get into coaching, and he has a very smart football brain.
“He might be ready to take over the following year. I think he’ll make a good coach.”