GLENN Wilkins knows what it takes to win a Ballarat Football League premiership as a player, now he is hoping he can re-live the glory again, this time as a coach.
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Wilkins was yesterday unveiled as the coach East Point hopes can guide the club towards its first BFL premiership.
The highly decorated Wilkins will bring a raft of experience to the role, as well as a thorough knowledge of football in Ballarat.
He will replace Dan Jordan, who coached for the past three years but could not commit to another season due to work. Jordan will remain at the club as a player.
Having answered an advertisement in The Courier last week, East Point was quick to snap up Wilkins once he applied.
East Point president Maurice O’Keefe said the Kangaroos had their eyes on a few other coaches but when Wilkins’ named popped up, they knew they had their man.
Last involved in coaching three years ago, Wilkins said the lure of being involved in club football again proved too strong to resist.
A Henderson Medal winner with Sebastopol in 1996 and 2003 Redan premiership player, Wilkins has also spent time at the North Ballarat Roosters as an assistant coach, as well as being at the helm of the North Ballarat Rebels in the TAC Cup in 2009 and 2010.
He also played and coached Donald in the North Central Football League, winning a premiership in 2004 as playing coach and 2006 as a player.
“I was keen to get back into it but I wanted to know it was the right club and East Point have been not far off the mark for the last 10 years,” he said.
“From a personal level I got itchy feet about five or six weeks ago. The ground is only five minutes from my house so the stars sort of aligned.”
East Point bombed out of the BFL finals early this year, going down to Darley in an elimination final.
Although Wilkins said he had not seen the Kangaroos play a lot of football this year, he knew they were not far off the mark.
“It might just be a tweak here or there and see how it goes,” he said.
“The end result is ideally a premiership but I’m not going to sit here and say ‘yeah we’re going to play in a premiership’, it doesn’t just happen.
“The hard work will start in a couple of months’ time.”
Yet to appoint an assistant coaching panel, Wilkins said he would look to organise the off-field structures in the near future.
patrick.nolan@fairfaxmedia.com.au
