WILLIAMSTOWN CYMS will embed the ‘Monty way’ into their operations.
Mathew Montebello has been entrusted with the enormous responsibility as senior coach and director of coaching at the grand old Victorian Amateur Football Association club.
Like handing over the keys to your brand new Ferrari while you’re on holidays, you don’t put someone into this role without doing the ‘due diligence’.
Montebello impressed so much in his time as coach of the under-18s and under-19s and with the philosophies he put forward at interviews for the position, it left CYs with no hesitation about putting him in the driver’s seat.
Montebello will be officially introduced to players and members at a meet-the-coach day on Sunday at Fearon Reserve.
“We only had to see the way that they were training and the way they were playing their football,” CYs stalwart Dene Macleod said. “It was obvious football that translated to amateur footy and also it would translate to senior footy.
“He seemed to have a terrific rapport whenever we had mixed training nights or we had some senior players come down and train.
“They would come back and say he’s a terrific coach and hopefully one day he gets the gig here.” Montebello replaces the departing Ian Rickman at the top. A teacher at Williamstown Primary School, Montebello thrives on the developmental aspects of coaching but is well-versed when it comes to the bigger picture.
“He gets tremendous buy-in because he spends time ensuring everyone knows what to do in a situation,” Macleod said. “He’s very hands-on, actively in there showing people how to play. He’s young enough and fit enough that he can still do that.”
The CYs were thrilled to get Montebello on board. It was his connection to the players coming up through the under-19s that led to him turning his back on an offer from Williamstown in the Victorian Football League.
“We offered him not only the role of senior coach but the director of coaching so that he had control over not only how the seniors were coached, but also how the reserves were coached and how the under-18s and under-19s were coached.
“He can assert his philosophies on what needed to happen and how we can go about things. He took that as a terrific challenge.”
It’s a landmark appointment for CYs. The club spent last season looking over the shoulder at the threat of relegation. CYs have not played in finals in division 1 and believe the addition of Montebello can change that while ensuring a sustained period of success for CYs.
CYs have appointed Steven Puhar as their playing assistant coach.
Puhar is a triple premiership player at Spotswood, who spent time as a player at the Western Jets and Williamstown VFL.
Matthew Wynd, a well-travelled player and official, including time as Werribee Tigers’ operations manager and dual reserve premiership coach with Spotswood, will be CYs’ reserves coach.
— Lance Jenkinson
