A long-time apprentice in the coaching caper, Dean Callaway has finally landed his first senior gig.
Yarraville-Seddon needed only to look within its ranks, elevating Callaway to the position vacated by former AFL player Jesse Smith.
Callaway has worked in coaching roles at four different Western Region Football League clubs, but he’ll be head honcho for the first time next season.
After taking the reserve grade sides of Albion and Sunshine Kangaroos to multiple finals, he worked as assistant under Nathan Juegan at Parkside and was a right-hand man to Smith last season, gaining invaluable knowledge and experience.
As a player, Callaway was a sponge for information from top coaches Larry Simmons and John Sharp. He will have a great mentor next season in Greg Wray, who is sure to give him any pointers he needs.
The timing and situation was right for Callaway to move into the next phase of his coaching career.
“It’s a challenge, but I’m looking forward to the challenge,” he told Star Weekly.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do, coach my own senior side. I’ll get a real buzz out of it. I’ve picked up a lot of knowledge and been in the game a long time to have a fair understanding of the way footy is played.”
Callaway takes charge of an Eagles side freshly relegated from division 1 after just one win last season.
The 45-year-old will be proactive to fill the noticeable holes in the line-up and ensure the side is not only competitive in the second division but a finals contender from the first match.
While talking to potential new recruits, Callaway has vowed to continue to promote young players and tap into the rich pool of junior talent coming through, many of whom could be senior players when the Eagles reappear in the top flight.
“We won’t burn them out too early,” Callaway, who lives in Yarraville, said.
“We’ll just rotate the kids and see where they’re at with their footy. Our plan is to bleed kids into the side and introduce them into the senior mix.”
Callaway has a plan for the team to be back and competitive in division 1 within three years.
He wants to avoid the whipping dished out to the Eagles by the powerhouse top-level clubs. But Callaway will do it the right way and not resort to a quick fix.
“It’s a three-year plan for me to get back in A-grade,” he said.
“And when we do get back up there, we’ll have a decent side that can be really competitive and not sort of waste six months of footy where we go straight down again.
“I think the talent we’ve got and the players we’re speaking to at the moment, if it all comes together, we’ll be more than competitive when we go back up to A-grade.”
