Berwick has been given extra motivation to finish its season on a high after the decision of senior coach Clint Evans to step down from his role at the conclusion of 2024.
Evans told the players before training on Tuesday night, 9 July, of his decision to step away from the coaching role, after five years at the helm.
With the significant turnover in the playing list during recent off-seasons and admitting that his commitment to the program was not where it needed to be to coach for another year, Evans chose to inform the club before the conclusion of the season in order to give it an early jump in its search for a replacement.
“With the list that we’ve got, someone coming in and taking over is probably the best thing for the club,” he said.
“That’s why I wanted to do it early, let the boys know and say to the club to start having a look around, to try and get the best candidate out there.
“It’s about trying to get someone back into the club to reinvigorate them, and that’s what I spoke to the committee about a few weeks ago and said ‘where do we want to go and what do we want to do?’
“They were really good with me and said ‘have a think about it’, but when I wasn’t 100 percent in, I had to let them know that they’re better off looking around next year, and being in Premier, you’ve got to be 100 percent; there’s a fair bit of time that goes into it.
“There was nothing untoward whatsoever between myself and the club, everything was in front of each other and there were no harsh feelings or animosity.”
A popular figure in the footballing community, Evans shouldered plenty in his time at the helm at Berwick but was quick to avoid using the circumstances as excuses for his win-loss record.
Evans took the role at the conclusion of the 2019 season before Covid-19 wiped out has first opportunity to take the reins in 2020.
In August 2020 the club switched competitions, from Outer East Football Netball to the Eastern Football Netball League’s (EFNL) Premier Division, bringing with it an increase in standard of football and competitive balance across the top flight.
“Would I love to have a season without Covid-19 and have a full list to see how we would have gone in that first year? 100 percent, but I coach more glass half-full than half-empty, and I look at it as an opportunity for kids to get games,” he said.
“The kids that I’ve seen over the last few years develop, I’m looking forward to watching them over the next three or four years just to see how far they’ve come.”
Berwick won three, four and six games across its first three seasons in the EFNL, but has just one win in 2024.
The 2023 offseason saw a number of senior players depart the club, including Travis Tuck, Anthony Vella and Harrison Money, while captain Will Arthurson suffered a season-ending knee injury during the preseason, forcing Evans to invest in youth, and field an inexperienced side with an average age in their early 20s.
“I said to the boys on Tuesday ‘put your hand up if you were here in the first year,’ and that was before Covid-19, five years ago, and I think there were only four or five guys left,” he said.
“When Covid-19 hit, it hurt the club a bit, with all the experienced guys that had enough, that we were hoping would come over to (EFNL) Premier (Division) from Outer East, all the premiership players, which unfortunately didn’t happen.
“Our list every year has been rejuvenated which has been really good.
“The results, I don’t think we realised how hard it would be to go from Outer East to (EFNL) Premier footy; it’s chalk and cheese.
“I think they’ve done an unbelievable effort, with double relegation and relegation in the first year, to stay there,
“And with the list, with games played and average age, we’ve had to go back to come forward.”
Evans offered to step aside from the position 12 months earlier, but support from his playing group saw him remain in the role for another season.
Captain, Tom Brennan, spoke glowingly of a ‘Boof’ whose resilience and selflessness has left an indelible mark on the playing group.
“‘Boof’ first and foremost is so personable and such a loveable bloke, which you immediately get a sense of as soon as you talk to him,” Brennan said.
“Everyone around the club talks about him in the highest regard as a gentleman.
“On the flip side, I think the players’ respect him and absolutely get the best out of themselves.
“That’s the best thing I love about ‘Boof’, regardless of the team he gets the absolute best out of them, which shows that the players play for him and I think that’s what everyone really loves about him.
“He’s great as a coach but off the field as well, he’s a genuinely nice human.
“I think if anything, coming across to this league, we always knew it was going to be challenging, but his resilience with the team and setting the club up for success in this next period is something that I think he’ll be absolutely remembered for.”
The focus now turns to avoiding relegation, and ensuring that the Wickers play in the highest competition of football available to them in 2025, in order to send Evans off on the right note.
Evans said he is unsure of whether he will coach in 2025, but left the door ajar if circumstances aligned.
“I’ve done nearly 17 years and never had a year off footy except for Covid-19,” he said.
“A year off sounds good, but all my mates say ‘you’ll be coaching again,’ so you never say never.
“There’s plenty of other things (I can do), I can sit back on a Saturday, have a beer and relax.
“My hair might start growing back, you never know.”
