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STEPHEN Arthur has proven again he isn’t one to shy away from a coaching challenge.
Having been bitten again by the coaching bug, Arthur’s latest appointment is at the helm of North Central league club Boort.
Boort is coming off a season in which it finished on the bottom of the NCFL ladder – the same position Elmore had finished in the Heathcote District league prior to Arthur’s coaching appointment at the Bloods for the 2014 season.
Arthur’s other coaching role in recent seasons has been in 2017 at Wakool – the year after the club had spent 2016 in recess.
Arthur spent this year on the board of the Central Murray league, but it’s coaching where his passion lies.
“I’ve got the coaching bug, so this is a good opportunity to get back into it,” Arthur said on Friday.
“I was on the board of the Central Murray league this year, but that didn’t really do it for me… I missed the coaching and there’s obviously the similarity between when I took over at Elmore and now at Boort in terms of player retention.
READ MORE – It's full steam ahead now for the Bloods
“Boort has lost about 10 senior players from this year, but I enjoy the challenge of recruiting and trying to leave a club in a better position than when I got there.
“I was able to do that at Elmore when we were just on the cusp of the finals in my last year (2015) and they then played finals the following season."
Arthur takes over the coaching role at the Magpies from Corey Gregg, who is among the exodus of players from Boort.
Gregg – who coached the Magpies for the previous two seasons – has signed with Goulburn Valley league club Echuca.
After making the finals in 2017, the Magpies this year tumbled down the ladder, claiming the wooden spoon with a 2-14 record.
The Magpies’ first training session under Arthur will be next Monday.
“It’s obviously a late appointment, so there’s a lot of hard work to be done, but we’re up for the challenge,” Arthur said.
“The club has a new president in Kane Arnold and a really strong committee off the field, so we’ll be looking to get improvement on the field and win as many games as we can.”
Next year’s North Central league season will get under way on Saturday, April 6.
Boort will play a home game in round one against St Arnaud, which also missed the finals this year.
Also among the new coaches in the North Central league next year is Corey Jones at two-time reigning premier Wycheproof-Narraport.
Jones’ first game in charge of the Demons will be an away match against Donald.
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