By ROY WARD
NEW Springvale Districts coach Jack McTaggart believes consistency and persistence will be the keys to his side’s chances this Southern Football League division 2 season.
The 38-year-old two-time Narre Warren premiership player has crossed over from his role as the Magpies under-18s coach to take on the senior role with the Demons.
He replaces Clint Einsiedel, who has taken on the Heatherton senior coaching job.
McTaggart said he believed the Demons were close to making the finals last year and he hoped to take them the next step.
“The side missed the finals on percentage and still won 12 out of 18 games,” McTaggart said.
“We weren’t far off finals and were competitive against the top sides.
“So we want to make finals this year and once you get there, if things go your way then you never know what will happen.
“The teams in division 2 seem very close together so we will need to be more consistent in our performances to make finals.”
McTaggart said he was recommended for the role by Magpies senior coach Chris Toner, whose father-in-law is Demons club legend David Hall.
“The opportunity came out of the blue and I hadn’t even got around to applying for any jobs,” McTaggart said.
“It was pretty soon after the football season ended, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, then I was contacted by Springvale Districts and it went from there.”
McTaggart said he believed the majority of last year’s side would return, while a few former Demons had returned to train with the club and may play this season.
He has also brought along five to six players from his Narre Warren under-18 side last year and he hopes they will play as well.
“I think two to three of those boys could play seniors straight away,” he said.
“Then during the year players improve so with further improvement those other young guys could play senior footy at some stage as well.
“We still have a few players up in the air about next season and we have one or two that we are looking at recruiting.”
The SFL season begins on April 13 with the Demons opening their season against Skye at Springvale Reserve.
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