Spotswood spent plenty of time making sure it had its man before appointing Tom German as senior coach for next year.
The Western Region Football League division 1 side last week announced that it had appointed German to replace Anthony Eames.
Woodsmen president Alan Given said they were thrilled to get German into the club.
“It’s pretty exciting stuff,” he said.
“Anthony Eames stepped down at the end of the season. It was sad to see him go, but he had been here a few years and was getting a bit tired so he decided he wanted to step down.
“We’ve had some really good coaches. Successful football clubs start with good coaches.”
Given said it had been a tough coaching market with several clubs looking for coaches. He said they spent plenty of time making sure they had the right person.
“We went through the process longer than some AFL club,” he said. “And put more effort in than some.
“Tom comes from a really good football family and lives locally.”
German comes to the Woodsmen having coached Bacchus Marsh in the Ballarat Football League most recently.
He will be a playing coach, having previously been AFL rookie-listed by Essendon. He had been one of the Cobras best players in his time at the club.
Given said German presented as well prepared and was keen to know just as much about the club as the club wanted to know about him.
“Everything he said was what we were after,” he said. “His attitude and the way he goes about things.
“He really impressed us.”
German comes to the Woodsmen after they missed finals for the first time in more than 20 years. The side finished sixth, two games outside the top five.
Given said German would continue on the work that Eames had been doing.
“Things weren’t where we wanted them to be,” he said. “We were impacted a little bit by COVID-19 and didn’t get the players back.
“In terms of reserves we didn’t have the depth there which didn’t help things. We missed finals for the first time in 20 years and we’re not keen on repeating that.”
Given said the majority of the playing group had already re-signed before German was appointed.
He said the new coach was really keen to be part of the process as they looked to add a few more players.
Tara Murray
