By Glen Atwell
SINCE winning the Southern Football League (SFL) Division Three grand final last year, the Parkmore Pirates have been sailing in murky waters.
Club football manager Mike Smyth described the off-season, which included the arrest of newly appointed coach Paul Jeffries, as “an act of mutiny”.
But aside from the well-publicised departure of former coach Richard Houston and the arrest of Jeffries, the most damaging cannonball came from losing 10 premiership players.
It has left the Pirates with a gaping hole in its playing list, but Smyth is confident the club has finally turned the tide towards success in Division Two.
“We lost 10 senior players when Houston and his assistant coach Gary Connolly left the club,” he said.
“It was an act of mutiny.”
The mass exodus, combined with the Pirates’ promotion to Division Two, left the club facing a stressful recruiting campaign.
Parkmore appointed Neil Collett as its senior coach and Dave Willis as an assistant, and ex-AFL and SFL umpire Rod Vanbeek has joined the club as fitness advisor and senior runner.
The two new coaches have recruited a handful of new players, including names from Casey-Cardinia club Hampton Park and SFL Division One side Clayton.
Stan and Malcolm Wanganeen, brothers of former Essendon and Port Adelaide star Gavin, have also signed on with the Pirates.
Collett, a close friend of the Wanganeen family, said Stan and Malcolm were keen to have a kick and help out.
“It will be great to have the Wanganeen boys down. It will definitely add some excitement,” he said.
“All the players are looking forward to being a part of the season.”
Collett said despite the troubled waters, there was a definite pre-season buzz around the club.
“The players have an air of confidence about them and we’re getting recruits at every training session,” he said.
“There are about 25 guys coming down to training. Things are getting better and better.
“This year we have adopted the philosophy that it doesn’t matter whether we win or lose the game, it’s how we play, and we will work hard to gain respect from the opposition,” Collett said.
Smyth said it was all hands on deck at the Pirate ship this season and urged those interested in having fun and achieving success to jump on board.
“We’re back to grassroots this year – it’s a family orientated environment,” he said.
Parkmore is training at Braeside Park and any interested players can call Smyth on 0414 368 414.
