Tara Murray
New Sunshine coach Guy Barbuto is focusing on one week at a time in the Western Football League division 2 season.
Barbuto, who has been an assistant coach at the club Kangaroos, was appointed coach with three rounds remaining after Ben Chapman stood down.
He said he was excited for the challenge.
“It was a bit unexpected but at the end of the day the position needed to be filled,” he said. “I’m happy to do it and I’ve been there week in, week out.
“It came around quicker than I had expected.”
Barbuto has been coaching since he was 18 firstly in the Essendon District Football League junior system and then with the Calder Cannons.
He decided to dip his toe into senior football this year feeling it was the right time,
Barbuto said Chapman, who took over as coach last year, had left them in a good position.
“He’s a bit disappointed to walk away,” Work commitments took its toll on him and he was struggling to commit as he would have liked.”
Barbuto acknowledges its a weird situation walking into a coaching role during the season with the club primed to play finals.
“I rang my mum and dad and wife and they were like what the hell,” he said. “At the end of the day we still have a lot of work to do.
“We play Newport in round 18 and we have Tarneit this week.”
It was a big week for the Kangaroos, with the WFL announcing that the Kangaroos would be one of three clubs promoted to division 1 for next season.
Barbuto said it was a massive thing for the club.
“That’s what the club has been aspiring to, which is awesome,” he said “The competition needed to be recalibrated to 12-12.
“There was obviously a gap in the division, hopefully this week will help those sides.”
For the new coach, he’s not looking too far ahead of what may happen this season.
The Kangaroos only two losses have come against Albion which is undefeated.
“We want to continue the way we’ve gone about things and worry about this week.”
Saturday’s match with Tarneit, which was after deadline, was potentially a big one for the Kangaroos.
Star forward Nathan Carroll entered the game with 98 goals for the season.
It will be the first time that Carroll has kicked 100 goals in the season.
Barbuto said they had hoped to get the 100 goal milestone out of the way against North Footscray.
He finished with five goals for the game.
“They had three to five players sitting on him,” he said. ”We’re looking forward to getting it out of the way.
“Hopefully it happens. He’s a good family man and has been a good acquisition for us.”
Tara Murray
