Division 2 thread 2024

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EFNL 2024: East Burwood hunts senior coach following Justin Whitcher sacking​


East Burwood is on the hunt for a fourth senior coach in as many years after splitting with mentor Justin Whitcher.
A two-time premiership player with the Rams in the league’s top division in 1999 and 2000, Whitcher was sacked ahead of the last home-and-away round, but coached out the season.

The Eastern Division 2 outfit missed the finals with a 7-11 record, finishing eighth of the competition’s 10 teams

While no statement was released publicly by the club, it began advertising the senior coaching role on Sunday night.

It’s understood a committee vote narrowly sealed the first-year coach’s fate, who said his shock axing felt like a “lack of respect”.

“As an ex-player you appreciate the opportunity to have been given the chance to coach … however, due to probably a system that cuts you off at the neck pretty quickly, it was disappointing,” Whitcher said, who was appointed at the end of 2023.

“It felt like there was a lack of respect (with) the way it was done overall.”

Whitcher, who previously admitted he was “quite brutal” at times this year, said the club simply needed to raise its standards to be successful again.

The Rams last won a senior men’s premiership in 2000, and last played in a grand final in ’19 – then in Division 4.

“They’ve been where they are for a long time now,” Whitcher said.

“The fact that I was the third coach in three years – and next year they’ll have four in four years – clearly at the moment as a club, they sit where they sit because they’re lacking in some areas of buy-in within the group and standards.

“Yes, 95 per cent of them are great blokes – but they’re too nice, introverted … they’ve got to come out of their shells more.

“On the training track or game day, their standards and their expectations of each other need to raise dramatically.”

He added: “Overall they’re a great club and always have been, there’s so many supporters from the era I played (in) and they’ve been great support.

“Ultimately, everyone involved this year, including me, just wanted to make the club better.

“The luxury I had, back in the day (as a player) when they were a strong club, I understood and was part of the reasons why things like training standards, game day standards, preparation, all of those things were so high and everyone demanded so much of each other.

“The downside these days is, it’s more about the individual worrying about their holidays and their weeks off at times over the group as a whole.

“Yes, it’s a different culture, but I think they just needed to understand that in order to have any success moving forward, everyone’s got to now buy in to a better system.”

Whitcher said progress could have been made with a second year in charge, while lamenting several key players were unavailable at stages this season due to travel.

He said the playing group would suffer the most from another change of coach.

“The beauty of having year two would have been that I was ready to change some things and do a lot different next year and find out who really wants to be a part of that,” Whitcher said.

“Football’s just a sport that is brutal, it’s tough, a lot of work goes into a football season and as a senior footballer, you need to understand that buy-in is 100 per cent commitment all year – it’s not pick and choose when you train or play.

“In a club where perhaps there’s leadership lacking, more than required need to step up and own some of that, and I think as a group they all need to own that, and I’ve been big on that all year.

“As a coach I actually feel sorry for the playing group that now they’ll have four coaches in four years.”
 

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Interesting comments. I spoke with some long time supporters of a different club at the footy on Saturday who bowed out of finals for another time. Whilst the theme was a bit of "back in our day"... etc., they were a very dominant team in previous years and now they believe the club has become too soft. Too many players worrying about when they can have time off and pick and choose what games they might be available for. Sounds a common theme amongst clubs trying to handle the generational change in player expectations where the club is to serve the player and not the other way around. If you research onto the whole millennial concept and younger peoples expectations about what the workplace should look like, it's no wonder it filters into the football scenario as well.

4 coaches in 4 years probably supports that training techniques, tactics and team structures isn't the problem. As long as you mollycoddle players perhaps don't expect much more than home and away games?
 
Clubs certainly need to get away from the “back in my day” stuff. It’s not relevant to todays players and I’m sure they will just roll their eyes when they hear it, like every generation does when the oldies start to talk about it.

I’m sure it’s probably a factor at a club like East Burwood who were so high up and have had a massive fall.

People can be dismissive of lower division success but it’s incredibly tough and even at all levels of footy now.

They won’t want to hear it but all you needed back in the day was money. That’s why they succeeded. End of story. They’ll talk about the high standards and everything (the standards just come in with the blokes they bought) but there’s a reason Vermont and East Burwood shared all the flags and it only changed when Noble Park and Balwyn came in. Money. That’s it.

You can’t do that any more, if nothing else because of the points system

It’s a lot harder, it takes a lot longer and the competition in all divisions is very even.

You can’t really talk about the standards and what you achieved in your day. It’s totally irrelevant because it was all simply purchased and you can’t do that any more. It’s a harsh truth you need to come to terms with.
 
Don't disagree Bunk but up to 10-15 years ago players would dedicate every Saturday to footy and everything else got put on hold. I know one club this year who have had about 5 players disappear for a bucks weekend 3 times! Not saying that balance shouldn't be part of the future - just don't get annoyed if everything goes pear shaped at the end of season!
 
eflreceiver said:
^^“The downside these days is, it’s more about the individual worrying about their holidays and their weeks off at times over the group as a whole. Have to agree.
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most clubs are in the same boat - you just got to make it work. The world has changed and you move with the change or you sook about the 'good old days'
 
ManInWhite said:
Don't disagree Bunk but up to 10-15 years ago players would dedicate every Saturday to footy and everything else got put on hold. I know one club this year who have had about 5 players disappear for a bucks weekend 3 times! Not saying that balance shouldn't be part of the future - just don't get annoyed if everything goes pear shaped at the end of season!
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It happens everywhere but there are degrees of it. Taking a single holiday or a weekend off is one thing, if it keeps happening then it’s simple, the player isn’t committed to footy and you shouldn’t be relying on him (or paying him big money).

People have always made decisions that prioritise something else over footy. Perhaps now they feel they can get away with that more often. They can - but can’t really expect to get the same money and treatment when they are there.

By the same token, if we are talking about a player who gives a solid ten years service and takes a single eight-week holiday… then maybe the footy club needs to be reasonable. As with a player taking one week off.
 
Will be interesting to see if Jong makes it back from injury this week.

Took the absolute piss against Croydon last time they played a few weeks before finals.
 

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hotchilli said:
Will be interesting to see if Jong makes it back from injury this week.

Took the absolute piss against Croydon last time they played a few weeks before finals.
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Read something on their social media this week about an injury crisis (can’t find it now) so maybe not

Roberts hasn’t played for ages either

Probably done well to get to a prelim
 
ManInWhite said:
What Whitcher is alluding to is this is part of the new world - but at the end 4 coaches in a row have been knifed because a lack of team consistency that couldn't guarantee finals.
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That isn't right. Stuart Wynd coached for 6 years and then gave it away. David Jensen coached for one season and but for a huge number of injuries probably would have kept the job. Justin Whitcher coached this season and was sacked. A 4th coach hasn't been appointed yet.
 
It would be handy if Boronia can replicate Donvale's scenario next week. The dirty Dorset will be buzzing plus some next Monday if we can manage 3 from 3. Go Blues!
 
Rhett Jordan is out with serious knee injury, unfortunately could be up to 12 months on sidelines. However, he has been reappointed to coach next season and will continue to do so. Billy Dickson is the replacement player for Sunday, a seasoned player with 10 years of senior footy experience.

In all seriousness, I expect for us to win 2/3 on Sunday, if we can get that third win in the senior game that will be a bonus.
 
nick2397 said:
Rhett Jordan is out with serious knee injury, unfortunately could be up to 12 months on sidelines. However, he has been reappointed to coach next season and will continue to do so. Billy Dickson is the replacement player for Sunday, a seasoned player with 10 years of senior footy experience.

In all seriousness, I expect for us to win 2/3 on Sunday, if we can get that third win in the senior game that will be a bonus.
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Sorry to spoil the party Nick. Rams Reserves were on a mission for the coach who announced his retirement before the game:
 

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