North Sunshine coach Brett Kennerley is fully aware of the history of his new club.
Kennerley was not deterred by the struggles the Roadrunners have endured since their last premiership in the Western Region Football League division 2 back in 2003. Those struggles included an infamous 73-game losing streak and the crumbling of the club’s junior base.
“This club is 50 years old this year,” Kennerley said. “I think a club that’s 50 should be in a slightly better position than it’s in.”
The North Sunshine committee has stabilised the club’s senior arm in the past two years to the point that it now puts out a competitive side in division 3.
While Kennerley is happy to pay tribute to eras past in the Roadrunners’ 50th season, it’s the club’s future that will occupy his time and energy.
“Their idea for bringing someone from outside the club was to give it a bit of a refresh and a different ideology,” Kennerley said. “As far as that goes, I think I will provide that in spades.”
Kennerley knows the history of a club is of utmost importance, so he will be the first to celebrate premiership triumphs and the success stories such as Will Hoskin-Elliott going from junior Roadrunner to Collingwood’s AFL list during the club’s 50th anniversary.
But it’s setting North Sunshine up for the next 50 years that will be his goal.
“A responsible coach shouldn’t sign on anywhere he doesn’t want to leave a good lasting memento of himself,” Kennerley said.
“My time at this club, however many years that may be, once I leave I hope guys can follow on from whatever I’ve been able to achieve and hopefully that’s a club in a better position than when I started.”
Kennerley is a unique asset because he’s held every position in a football club: as youth development coach at the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup, as under-19s coach at Avondale Heights, as a senior men’s and women’s coach, and even as a junior coach at Pyramid Power in Cairns.
His experience at the Power also extends to the boardroom, where he was club president.
“Anyone who’s had a good insight into administration in club land … I think it helps,” the 41-year-old, originally from WA, said. “You get to see the other pressures involved in a club and how it all comes together. Just throwing money after players isn’t the be-all and end-all.”
As senior coach, Kennerley obviously wants to lead North Sunshine back to the finals.
Since he took over in October, the Roadrunners have experienced massive growth in senior numbers, with two full sides able to lock horns for intra-club practice matches – and they’ve been ferocious. “Nasty,” he said of the intensity. “I ask for that because I’d rather see blokes go at it full steam.
“I’m new to the club. Some of the guys I’ve brought with me so I understand how they play, but a lot who have been around the club for a while, I’ve got to see what they’re made of and what positions I can use them. It’s vital that I see them going full tether.”
But Kennerley’s toughest task is to facilitate a rebuild of North Sunshine’s junior section. He could be the most important figure in Sunshine football if he successfully rejuvenates a once-thriving Roadrunners junior base.
“A community like Sunshine, even though there’s three senior clubs there, there’s not a massive amount of juniors playing, so it’s vital someone grabs it by the horns and has a crack at it,” he said. “We haven’t had a 19s or a junior program for some time; that’s a big motivation for me.”
