READ MORE - LVFNL 2019 end-of-season club-by-club review
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WITH a six-season apprenticeship as an assistant under his belt, Luke Freeman is taking charge of Newbridge as its new senior coach in the Loddon Valley league.
Freeman has spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach at Strathfieldsaye, which included being involved in the premiership campaigns of both this year and 2017.
As well as his stint at the Storm, Freeman also previously spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Kangaroo Flat.
The non-playing coach takes the reins at the Maroons from Brad Comer, who coached Newbridge the previous two years, including to the 2018 flag.
"It has been a great environment to be part of at Strathfieldsaye over the past four years and the opportunity to learn off Darryl Wilson and Troy Coates has been a fantastic experience," Freeman said on Friday.
"Hopefully, I'll be able to bring some of the structures and gamestyle that has worked well at Strath out to Newbridge.
"Having said that, it was only 12 months ago that Newbridge won a flag and quite a few of those players are still there, so there is already a really good platform to build on."
Having won the 2018 premiership, the Maroons endured a wretched run with injury this year and won just five games and slid to eighth position.
On the back of this year's slide and with the Maroons' reserves having gone through the year winless, one of Freeman's first aims is to build more depth at the club.
"They were only a game-and-a-half outside the top five, so I see a big opportunity there to be able to turn it around if we can keep the list healthy, which was obviously a problem this year," Freeman said.
"We'll look to add a bit more depth so we can cover those injuries, which are inevitable, a bit better.
"Overall, I'm just really looking forward to the opportunity. Having had six years as an assistant coach I feel the time is now right to go out and coach my own team.
"It's something I've always wanted to do, but I wanted to get some experience under my belt first, which I've been able to do."
Newbridge president Kristian Shevlin said the experience Freeman brings from the successful Strathfieldsaye would be of major benefit to the Maroons.
"And also being a school teacher, his communication and teaching abilities are high and that's really important with coaches these days," Shevlin said.
"We've got a really good group of young players in that 18 to 21-year bracket and we're really excited with what Luke can teach them.
"We're really happy with the appointment."
2019 LODDON VALLEY SEASON RESULTS
ROUND 1:
Pyramid Hill 18.15 (123) def Bridgewater 5.9 (39)
Newbridge 18.12 (120) def Calivil United 7.3 (45)
Marong 17.13 (115) def Inglewood 10.6 (66)
Mitiamo 14.6 (90) def Maiden Gully YCW 6.7 (43)
Bears Lagoon-Serpentine bye
ROUND 2:
Pyramid Hill 18.11 (119) def Mitiamo 9.10 (64)
Marong 10.17 (77) def Calivil United 5.11 (41)
Bridgewater 13.17 (95) def Maiden Gully YCW 12.17 (89)
BL-Serpentine 7.15 (57) def Inglewood 8.8 (56)
Newbridge bye
ROUND 3:
Mitiamo 16.12 (108) def Newbridge 5.6 (36)
BL-Serpentine 20.11 (131) def Calivil United 13.7 (85)
Bridgewater 12.17 (89) def Inglewood 8.14 (62)
Maiden Gully YCW 12.9 (81) def Marong 11.14 (80)
Pyramid Hill bye
ROUND 4:
Newbridge 15.26 (116) def Inglewood 5.7 (37)
Mitiamo 13.14 (92) def BL-Serpentine 5.11 (41)
Calivil United 17.14 (116) def Bridgewater 12.5 (77)
Pyramid Hill 13.14 (92) def Marong 10.9 (69)
Maiden Gully YCW bye
ROUND 5:
Pyramid Hill 24.24 (168) def Inglewood 3.5 (23)
Bridgewater 14.12 (96) def BL-Serpentine 11.16 (82)
Marong 13.15 (93) def Newbridge 12.16 (88)
Maiden Gully YCW 10.17 (77) def Calivil United 11.8 (74)
Mitiamo bye
ROUND 6:
Pyramid Hill 15.10 (100) def BL-Serpentine 6.14 (50)
Maiden Gully YCW 14.8 (92) def Newbridge 7.9 (51)
Bridgewater 17.14 (116) def Marong 12.11 (83)
Mitiamo 8.11 (59) def Calivil United 5.14 (44)
Inglewood bye
ROUND 7:
Mitiamo 20.19 (139) def Inglewood 5.5 (35)
Pyramid Hill 17.15 (117) def Maiden Gully YCW 8.8 (56)
BL-Serpentine 9.13 (67) def Marong 6.13 (49)
Newbridge 10.9 (69) def Bridgewater 8.11 (59)
Calivil United bye
ROUND 8:
Maiden Gully YCW 23.12 (150) def Inglewood 13.8 (86)
Mitiamo 18.10 (118) def Bridgewater 9.9 (63)
Pyramid Hill 13.19 (97) def Calivil United 10.5 (65)
BL-Serpentine 11.10 (76) def Newbridge 10.8 (68)
Marong bye
ROUND 9:
Mitiamo 21.18 (144) def Marong 5.6 (36)
Calivil United 21.15 (141) def Inglewood 4.14 (38)
BL-Serpentine 15.10 (100) def Maiden Gully YCW 8.14 (62)
Pyramid Hill 11.15 (81) def Newbridge 9.8 (62)
Bridgewater bye
ROUND 10:
Pyramid Hill 23.10 (148) def Bridgewater 8.8 (56)
Marong 16.17 (113) def Inglewood 8.10 (58)
Newbridge 9.10 (64) def Calivil United 8.8 (56)
Mitiamo 13.13 (91) def Maiden Gully YCW 13.10 (88)
Bears Lagoon-Serpentine bye
ROUND 11:
BL-Serpentine 17.17 (119) def Inglewood 10.7 (67)
Mitiamo 14.11 (95) def Pyramid Hill 12.10 (82)
Calivil United 11.8 (74) def Marong 10.11 (71)
Maiden Gully YCW 13.10 (88) def Bridgewater 13.7 (85)
Newbridge bye
ROUND 12:
Mitiamo 9.14 (68) def Newbridge 0.4 (4)
BL-Serpentine 10.15 (75) def Calivil United 3.8 (26)
Bridgewater 11.18 (84) def Inglewood 6.6 (42)
Maiden Gully YCW 8.10 (58) def Marong 3.17 (35)
Pyramid Hill bye
ROUND 13:
Newbridge 17.17 (119) def Inglewood 3.4 (22)
Calivil United 27.14 (176) def Bridgewater 14.6 (90)
Marong 11.10 (76) def Pyramid Hill 6.4 (40)
BL-Serpentine 9.8 (62) def Mitiamo 7.11 (53)
Maiden Gully YCW bye
ROUND 14:
Pyramid Hill 32.11 (203) def Inglewood 3.6 (24)
Calivil United 7.6 (48) def Maiden Gully YCW 0.0 (0)
Marong 10.8 (68) def Newbridge 6.8 (44)
Bridgewater 16.12 (108) def BL-Serpentine 14.10 (94)
Mitiamo bye
ROUND 15:
Pyramid Hill 23.12 (150) def BL-Serpentine 14.5 (89)
Maiden Gully YCW 14.13 (97) def Newbridge 7.12 (54)
Marong 14.14 (98) def Bridgewater 11.11 (77)
Calivil United 11.9 (75) def Mitiamo 9.17 (71)
Inglewood bye
ROUND 16:
Mitiamo 28.24 (192) def Inglewood 8.5 (53)
Bridgewater 17.19 (121) def Newbridge 7.7 (49)
BL-Serpentine 12.12 (84) def Marong 9.5 (59)
Maiden Gully YCW 9.10 (64) def Pyramid Hill 8.8 (56)
Calivil United bye
ROUND 17:
Maiden Gully YCW 27.12 (174) def Inglewood 2.6 (18)
Mitiamo 14.20 (104) def Bridgewater 5.3 (33)
Pyramid Hill 14.12 (96) def Calivil United 4.4 (28)
BL-Serpentine 10.3 (63) drew Newbridge 6.2 (38)
Marong bye
ROUND 18:
Calivil United 23.16 (154) def Inglewood 6.5 (41)
Pyramid Hill 10.21 (81) def Newbridge 3.6 (24)
BL-Serpentine 10.14 (74) def Maiden Gully YCW 7.10 (52)
Mitiamo 10.19 (79) def Marong 9.13 (67)
Bridgewater bye
FINALS:
Elimination final:
Maiden Gully YCW 14.7 (91) def Calivil United 8.10 (58)
Qualifying final:
Mitiamo 19.9 (123) def BL-Serpentine 11.8 (74)
1st semi-final:
BL-Serpentine 11.13 (79) def Maiden Gully YCW 8.10 (58)
2nd semi-final:
Mitiamo 11.22 (88) def Pyramid Hill 10.6 (66)
Preliminary final:
Pyramid Hill 14.15 (99) def BL-Serpentine 9.10 (64)
Grand final:
Mitiamo 11.16 (82) def Pyramid Hill 9.6 (60)
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