Benjamin Millar
The Laverton Magpies Football Club have signed prodigal son Tony Jofre up as head coach for the 2022 season.
After kicking off his career at the Magpies as a junior, Jofre will be returning to the nest where he enjoyed premiership success as part of Eddie Calleja’s 2001 team, shining that year as the WRFL leading goal kicker and Best On Ground during the Grand Final.
Jofre then moved on to the Western Jets Program and Interleague Teams, continuing his career at a number of clubs and enjoying more premiership successes at Werribee.
He told Sat Weekly he is excited to be back at the club that nurtured his junior career.
“It is good to get back involved in a club where I was a junior, I did start my football playing career at Lav before I moved on to play at different clubs and different levels,” he said.
“I’ve involved myself in a lot of mentor roles in charities and events and coaching has always been something I’ve wanted to do post my playing career.”
While success on the field will be one subject of Jofre’s focus, so too will the community side of the role off the field.
“I want to help develop the young kids in the area, the footy goes hand in hand with that,” he said.
“Helping develop and mentor young people is really important to me, my main goal after being approached as head coach is to develop a club that has been struggling for a few years and to build a structure that will mean we can become a strong powerhouse again.”
After two seasons ravaged by COVID-19 lockdowns, Jofre hopes 2022 will be the year football is able to get back on track without the same disruptions forced by lockdowns and cancellation of community sports.
“I think it’s going to be great to get back out there, it’s important that people get around the clubs again post-Covid – sport brings a lot of joy and brings the community together, so this is a opportunity to reconnect,” he said.
“I really like that Laverton is a proud club and it’s coming up to its centenary year, that’s a really big thing for a club and the community.”
The Magpies have also announced several re-signings for 2022 including Chris Arnold, Brent Taylor, Jake Meiers, Samson Farley and Adam Casley-Old all returning in the black and white.
