The Macleay Valley Rangers will start their title defence with a new coach as Chris Walker has been appointed to take over from Keith Morn, who decided to stand down after he led the first grade squad to a remarkable 2018 premiership.
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Walker returned to the Rangers last year after spending three years completing his university studies in Newcastle.
The central midfielder played an instrumental role in leading the Rangers to premiership glory and he scored the first goal in the breathtaking 5-3 extra-time win over Wallis Lake.
While Walker will likely be the youngest Football Mid North Coast Premier League coach, the 23-year-old claims he’s ready to take charge.
“I heard Keith was stepping down so I decided to put my hand up for the job,” Walker told the Argus.
“I have a bit of experience in coaching and I helped out a bit last year.
“I want to get the best out of the players and I believe I will be able to do that with the style of coaching I will bring.”
Walker was an assistant coach for the Under-17s Lake Macquarie side during his time in Newcastle.
“I learned a lot while I was in Newcastle as a player and as an assistant coach,” Walker said.
“I will be focusing more on drills and skills training and on the roles of each player and where we want them to be in certain situations on the field.”
The defending champions are set to start their 2019 campaign with a number of fresh faces but Walker is excited at the prospect of the young talent who are knocking on the door for selection.
“I think we will have a relatively young side,” Walker said.
“There’s some young guys in the Under-16s and Under-18s who have shown plenty of promise and hopefully they will be ready to step up into reserves and potentially first grade this year.”
Rangers’ former captain Paul Thurlow and striker Andrew Potter are two veteran players who retired from the first grade side after last year’s grand final victory.
While Walker is excited at the prospect of coaching a Premier League side, the Rangers junior acknowledges it’s a tough gig.
“I think it will be hard to start off with but there’s plenty of people at the club who will be there to lend a helping hand,” Walker said.
Walker’s goals for the season are to reach the finals but he believes their potential achievements will rely on who returns for the upcoming season.
“We have lost a few players from last season, we had a training run last Thursday but we still have a fair few people away,” Walker said.
“Once the holidays are over we will have more of an idea of who is going to play this year.”
Walker will be a player-coach in 2019 and will remain on the field. A captain will be announced prior to the season commencing.
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