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NEW Mitiamo coach Marcus McKern says there's a sense of "unfinished business" for the Superoos as he takes the reins as coach heading into the 2022 Loddon Valley league season.
Having been an assistant coach at the Superoos since 2018, McKern has been given the chance to take over in the top job after the stepping down of previous co-coaches Andy Grant and Tyrone Downie.
The Superoos are coming off an undefeated 2021, but with the season called off before the finals could get started due to regional Victorian COVID restrictions, Mitiamo missed the opportunity to vie for another flag and had to settle for being recognised as the "minor premier".
The Superoos won the premiership in 2019 and would have been a hot favourite too for 2020 had that entire season not been cancelled due to COVID before they had shown themselves to be the 2021 benchmark.
"Talking to the group individually, it does feel like there's unfinished business... the boys are really keen to try to get that premiership that we think we could have gone close to getting this year after missing out on all of last year as well," McKern said on Saturday.
"The boys are definitely keen to finish off the hard work they've put in over the past three or four years and only been able to get one flag from."
The boys are definitely keen to finish off the hard work they've put in over the past three or four years and only been able to get one flag from
- Marcus McKern - new Mitiamo coach
McKern takes on the senior coaching role at the Superoos after serving a solid apprenticeship having been an assistant at not only Mitiamo, but also Elmore, North Bendigo and Kyneton.
"I'm confident I'll be able to do the job to a high standard with the assistant coaching experience I've been able to get," McKern said.
At this stage McKern is expecting the bulk of the Superoos' 2020 list to return next year.
The only confirmed departures so far are gun forward Downie and key defender Max Simpson, who finished No.1 in this year's Addy LVFNL player rankings, while the trio of Ash Benbow, Lachlan Woodward and Matt Wiegard are weighing up whether to play on or hang up the boots.
Among the returning players for the Superoos will be their quartet of Queensland-based players - ruckman Michael I'Anson, Lee Dale, Dylan Mutu and former SANFL player Carl Nicholson, who only played one game this year after suffering a knee injury.
"I won't be changing too much up or re-inventing the wheel so to speak... we know what works and what doesn't work for our group," McKern said.
"We know we're a strong contested ball side and that isn't going to change... we'll do what has worked for us over the past three or four years.
"And there won't be a lot of player turnover, so it's a stable group and what we've got going at the moment has been good.
"With the list we've got we believe we can be up there amongst it again next year."
Ross Turner will be McKern's playing assistant coach.
The Superoos have been finalists for the past six seasons during which they have won 76 of 109 games and played in four grand finals, which highly likely would have been five grand finals had this year played out in full.
As well as McKern appointed as senior coach, the Superoos also have a new president for season 2022 with Mick Draper taking over from Rob Clohesy following his four years at the helm of the club.
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