Castlemaine has reappointed senior coach Don Moran for the 2021 Bendigo Football Netball League season.
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Moran, a member of the Pies' 1992 premiership team, is yet to coach a game after the 2020 season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moran's efforts during a difficult pre-season and his rapport with the club's young players made it a no-brainer for the club to stick with the coach.
The Magpies have also locked in the reserves and under-18 coaches for 2021.
"The core group that we had really enjoyed their time with Don and were really keen to have Don return to the club as coach,'' Castlemaine president Caleb Kuhle said.
"He has a really good relationship with the players and the club is very happy to have Don as senior coach.
"(Senior player) David Stephens will stick with the club and coach the reserves next year.
"Another senior player, John Watson, is going to take on the under-18 coaching job.
"He coached the under-16s to a premiership and is now stepping up to the under-18s which is great for the club.
"It's exciting for us to have the coaches all signed up.
"The three of them work really well together and their aim is to have the same brand of footy being coached from the seniors down to the juniors.
"It provides some stability for the club and gives the playing group some certainty and confidence that the club is moving forward."
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Player stocks, both quantity and quality, has been an issue for the Pies in recent years.
Kuhle said a combination of Moran's reappointment and encouraging dialogue with players in the region gave the club confidence that they were on the right track with their rebuild.
"Our first focus is to make sure we retain the players we had because they're a great group of young people with a lot to offer the club,'' Kuhle said.
"We'll talk to players around our region that have shown interest in playing (at Castlemaine).
"We're not in the business of robbing teams of players, but we'll talk to these players in a respectful manner.
"We've had indications from players outside the district as well that they'd be interested in talking to us."
Kuhle said the Magpies had handled the cancellation of the 2020 season to the best of their ability.
The club president was confident the Pies finances were strong enough to ensure the club's viability going forward.
"If we did play this year the players had volunteered to play on an amateur basis,'' he said.
"We've been here for the longest time in this region and we plan to be here for the long haul.
"Now, if next year's season is cancelled as well, then I imagine it will be hard for some clubs to survive. I dare say we might find it tough as well.
"We expect the season to go ahead next year and we'll be ready to go."
If approved by AFL Victoria, the BFNL salary cap for 2021 will drop from $150,000 to $125,000.
"To be honest, I don't think the salary cap really matters for us,'' Kuhle said.
"If clubs think they can afford to spend $150,000 with all their operational expenses...good luck to them.
"Personally, I don't think that is viable in the current economic climate we're in.
"We'll do what we do. We're not concerned about what other clubs are paying for their players.
"We'll concentrate on our own backyard."
With the football coaches signed for 2021, Kuhle said the club's next project is to build its netball program.
"We're trying to get that elusive A-grade netball return. It's number one on our priority list,'' Kuhle said.
"There's plenty of players that either grew up in Castlemaine, or have played at Castlemaine, who are playing elsewhere at the moment.
"If we could get those players back then we'd have a very competitive A-grade netball team and provide a good pathway for our juniors.
"Our aim is to have a full complement of netball sides and football sides next year."
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