FOOTSCRAY’S intention to become a serious player in the Hockey Victoria men’s state league1 is loud and clear after securing the services of former Australian international Travis Brooks as coach for at least the next two years.
Brooks, 31, considered returning to the field for a shot at a rare three consecutive premierships as a player with Waverley, but found the job on offer at the Bulldogs too enticing and the head overruled the heart.
The Olympic gold medallist and Champions Trophy winner decided the time was right to move into the next phase of his hockey career.
“Waverley are going for a three-peat and I was thinking about having another hit with them,” Brooks told the Weekly.
“A couple of things were of interest to me: I obviously enjoy coaching and being around hockey and with my body the way it is, it’s pulled up a bit average from my international years, so I took the opportunity to pursue some coaching.”
Brooks was not about to jump into coaching for the sake of it. The man who retired from international hockey in 2008 after 143 Kook-
aburras appearances wanted a club that would be the right fit. It had to be ambitious with a strong junior program and potential for long-term success.
“I got attracted to the club for their strong junior program,” Brooks said. “To stay in the state league 1 competition, you need depth at your club and be able to put things into place long term to maintain that rather than try for a short-term fix.
“We’ll have a young group this year; really blood them in the first division and give them a chance to see what the game at that level is about and give me the opportunity to try and put some things in place for the long term.”
This is a landmark winter for the Bulldogs with the men’s and women’s teams promoted to state league 1.
Years of planning went into getting the club among Victorian hockey’s elite.
“It’s probably the epitome for a club in Victoria to have your top men’s and women’s teams in state league 1,” Brooks said.
“It’s a reward for the effort and planning that’s gone on by the board.”
The Bulldogs’ first assignment in the big league is an away trip to Doncaster on Saturday.
Brooks admits his side is behind the eight ball in terms of preparation, mainly due to playing catch-up in the fitness department and the continual teaching of the new game plan that will not become second nature until a quarter of the way through the season.
■ Altona kick-starts its season with its men’s and women’s teams playing away to Mentone on Saturday.
