At a past players’ function in August, Paul Growcott suddenly got the urge to return to the Laverton Magpies.
The 42-year-old pulled on the boots as a player for over a decade with Laverton in the Western Region Football League before dipping his toes into coaching.
He was assistant under David Connell at Yarraville-Seddon for its 2012 division 2 premiership, and has been in charge at Caroline Springs for the past three seasons.
Growcott had always planned to return to Laverton; it was just a matter of timing. He was approached by the Magpies about the senior coach position at the end of the season and had no hesitation signing on for the next two seasons.
“I played there for 10 years and I always said that I’d go back and help out, and I’m looking forward to it,” Growcott told Star Weekly.
The Magpies were never a powerhouse in his time on the field but more than held their own in the second and third tiers. In more recent times, they seemed to be back on the rise, winning six-and-a-half games under coach Christian Spence this season, one and a half more than the previous year.
The promising young playing list came fifth in division 3 this season and the club can start aiming for profits.
“I haven’t got a huge budget, but the committee that’s taken over now took over previous debts and they’ve wiped all that out,” Growcott said. “Hopefully, we can build the bank balance up a bit and people can go out there and have a good game and get rewarded.”
Growcott wants Laverton to develop a mean streak, to be known for hardness at the ball. What he doesn’t want is a one-dimensional team.
“You need blokes who can get the ball, but you need your outside players with good skills who can use it.”
It’s going to be a big preseason for the players at Laverton. They will need to impress their new coach over summer to be considered for the senior side.
“It’s a level playing field,” Growcott said. “You might come in and say you’re a senior footballer, you played seniors all of last year, but it’s going to come down to your preseason, your training attendance.”
