Sport
28 November, 2022
Magpies senior coach Rick Andrews steps down, new coach still to be appointed
Maryborough has suffered a setback in their quest to begin climbing the Bendigo Football Netball League ladder, with senior football coach Rick Andrews stepping down despite committing to continuing on for the 2023 season in July. Work and family...
Maryborough has suffered a setback in their quest to begin climbing the Bendigo Football Netball League ladder, with senior football coach Rick Andrews stepping down despite committing to continuing on for the 2023 season in July.
Work and family commitments have increased for Andrews for 2023, making the decision to notify club president Kelvin Noonan on Thursday that he would not be able to give the club the time required to satisfy their rebuild, with the Magpies having now gone 29 senior matches without a win.
Noonan said that the call from Andrews was a surprise, leaving the Magpies scrambling for a replacement.
“It came out of the blue. It was Thursday that he had rung me, and it was the first time I had heard anything from him. It was his view that he didn’t believe he could contribute 100 percent to the job, and he felt that if he couldn’t do that, he’d be letting both himself and the players down. The reason that he couldn’t do it was because of work and family commitments, which are going to be increasing in 2023. He felt that those two aspects — and they’re important aspects, we as a club appreciate that they are — we believe work and family should always come first,” he said.
“We have to accept that this is Rick’s position, and we thank him for his time at the club. We now have to simply take it in stride and move on, and do what we need to do by looking forward, not looking back.”
In a statement, Andrews confirmed that he would require more time to dedicate towards family and work, with both of his sons living interstate next year and requiring more flexibility when needed, which meant that he could not dedicate the time required to help the club going forward.
“On Thursday, I informed the club that I would be walking away from football,” he said.
“The decision was based on three things. Firstly, not having enough time to balance family, work and football commitments.
“Secondly, both my sons will be living interstate next year and I will require extra flexibility to travel when needed.
“And finally, the club deserves a coach that can fully dedicate the time to implement what is needed to move forward.
“I would like to thank the Maryborough Football Netball Club and the many great people I have worked with and supported me over the past 18 months and wish the club the greatest success in the future.”
Noonan confirmed that a meeting was held between himself and fellow members of the coaching staff — reserves coach Callum Rowe and under 18s coach Brady Neill, as well as senior football captain Coby Perry — on Sunday night, while a similar meeting between Noonan and the Maryborough Football Netball Club committee was set to be held last night to discuss the next steps forward.
Noonan confirmed that coaching staff members, as well as Perry, were “steeled” to continue working with the club and wanted to continue helping the club’s young list.
“Once Rick told me he didn’t think he’d be able to contribute 100 percent, and thought it’d be best that he resigned, we first notified the other coaches and our captain, Coby Perry. They had some discussions, particularly Coby with Rick, and they have steeled themselves to help carry that load and do whatever they can to contribute to the club,” he said.
“The club is concerned that some players will be worried about this event, but they can be reassured that their football careers are absolutely our first priority in terms of getting the best available coach in the circumstances we are facing. I’m confident that the people we appoint to do this job will be able to help our players in the best possible way and in a timely manner.
“It’s a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity for someone inside or outside the club to step up to the plate and take on the role. We have a lot of confidence in some of the senior people at the club to be able to do that.”
Andrews oversaw 18 games in charge of the Magpies, which did not yield a win, but there were still some positive factors. The under 18 program was re-established with great success, with the team making the finals on their first attempt.
Noonan said this is how Andrews should be remembered for his tenure, by moulding the talent on the Magpies list to get them prepared for senior football.
“Rick brought a new perspective with him, which was embraced. He wasn’t able to implement all of his strategies and ideas due to the numbers we had, but I believe his approach to his job was to develop young players to become good footballers — good Bendigo League footballers. We’re now looking to appoint someone else to carry on that job,” he said.
The Magpies will now look to focus on 2023 by appointing their new coach in due course.