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REAPPOINTED Kangaroo Flat coach James Flaherty says planning is well under way at Dower Park as the Roos prepare for a return to the field in the Bendigo Football-Netball League in 2021.
This year was to have been Flaherty's first as senior coach of the Roos, but the season was abandoned due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Flaherty joined the Roos as coach in October last year having previously spent five years coaching Rochester in the Goulburn Valley league.
"We're well under way with our planning for next year, so hopefully, we can pick up from where we left off," Flaherty said on Tuesday.
"We were really eager with our young group to see what they'd be able to do at senior level this year and it felt like the group had been really enjoying training, even when the restrictions were in and we were only able to train in the groups of 10 or 20.
We were really eager with our young group to see what they'd be able to do at senior level this year
- James Flaherty, Kangaroo Flat coach
"We've been able to sign up around 20 of the current group over the past couple of weeks.
"There's always going to be movement, but we feel with the phone calls and contact we've been making with players that we've been getting more positive feedback than negative and we'd hope to be able to maintain at least 90 per cent of our group.
"Our group is young, but hungry to get started again, especially after missing a year of footy."
One key player the Roos have lost is midfielder and 2018 best and fairest Liam Collins, who has signed with Mount Pleasant in the Heathcote District league.
As well as reappointing Flaherty as senior coach, the Roos have also locked in fellow coaches Craig O'Hara (reserves) and Carl Roberts (under-18s), while Jayden Cowling will again be at the helm of the A Grade netball team.
"The reappointment of these coaches enables the club to build upon what was to be a successful season," Kangaroo Flat president Scott Mitchell said.
"All of these coaches had done a fantastic job preparing for and leading up to the cancellation of the 2020 season due to COVID.
"All coaches jumped at the chance to lead the way in 2021 after being left feeling a bit empty from the 2020 season. All coaches are very positive about building their lists for 2021."
Meanwhile, there are currently two senior coaching vacancies in the BFNL with both Golden Square and Kyneton on the hunt.
2021 BFNL COACHES:
CASTLEMAINE - Don Moran
EAGLEHAWK - Travis Matheson
GISBORNE - Rob Waters
GOLDEN SQUARE - Vacant
KANGAROO FLAT - James Flaherty
KYNETON - Vacant
MARYBOROUGH - Justin Abrams
SANDHURST - Ashley Connick
SOUTH BENDIGO - Nathan Horbury
STRATHFIELDSAYE - Darryl Wilson & Shannon Geary
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