A former VFL team-of-the-year member has taken on the top job at St Albans Football Club.
The Saints announced last week they had signed Fabian Carelli as head coach for next season.
He replaces Marcus Barclay, who parted ways with the club towards the end of the recent home-and-away season.
Carelli brings a vast range of experience to St Albans, starting with a well-credentialled playing career.
As well as his VFL achievements, he played under-19 and reserves football for Collingwood and won competition best-and-fairest medals in both the Northern and Tasmanian football leagues.
He was also a premiership captain at NFL side West Preston Lakeside in 2003.
When his playing career finished, Carelli turned his attention to coaching and led Montmorency and East Burwood between 2010 and 2014.
Last season he was a senior assistant coach at Victorian Amateur Football Association side De La Salle.
“I’m really looking forward to getting started,” Carelli said.
“You just get the bug back about being that main man.
“I’m lucky I’m going to a strongly administered football club.
“It’s great to know there are good resources there to help you to what you’re trying to achieve.”
The main goal for Carelli will be returning St Albans to the top echelon of the Western Region Football League’s division 1 competition.
The Saints are coming off a disastrous 2015 campaign in which they went from a likely top-three side at the halfway point to crashing out of finals contention.
St Albans finished seventh, but there were some positives with the reserves making the finals.
Despite underachieving last season, Carelli said all players would start pre-season training with a clean slate.
“I’ll be making no expectations or judgements,” he said. “Everyone has a chance to perform.
“We’ll look at what we have got, we’ll look at what we need and then focus on developing from there.
“I’m not coming in with a set mind. It’s all about developing a game plan that’s set to the group.”
