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From the Moreland Community News.
New coach promises Flood of excitment.
By Lance Jenkinson
AS new Coburg Tigers coach David Flood peers
up at the massive whiteboard hanging on the
wall in the coaches' room deep beneath the
grandstand at Coburg City Oval, you can sense
a buzz of excitement.
What confronts him is literally a bunch of names
magnetically stuck on, next to the outline of a
football ground.
The black ink etched on the magnetic strips
represents a vision to the future for Flood.
He is like a kid in a candy store, searching for
the best sweets to place in their correct
positions, excitedly mentioning the names of
players who could be the next 'big thing'.
Flood has made one promise to the die-hard Coburg
supporters: to play an exciting style of football
that will "get bums back on seats" in 2004.
Over time the crowds at Coburg have dwindled
and the new leader is hoping the old supporters
will give his desperate young team an opportunity
to prove their worth.
"We're going to play some exciting winning footy
with young players that are desparately keen to
play well," Flood said, hoping to entice
supporters to the first home game of the season
against Springvale on April 11.
"Hopefully, in two or three years time they will
move on from VFL to AFL, the supporters can say I
remember that young guy when he was at Coburg."
Flood played 54 games of league football at
Essendon before crossing to South Australian
National Football League club Central Districts.
After finishing his playing career in South
Australia, he returned to Windy Hill as a
development coach for Essendon until December 1.
Flood will encourage his young troops to reach for
teh stars.
"I'd like to see one, two, three or four players
rookied or put on to an AFL list - that is
going to be one measurement of success for the
Coburg Tigers Football Club this year.
"I feel if I could build up some good young players
that have still got a chance of playing AFL footy
or, if not, have good VFL careers - that's the
sort if players that I'm after.
"We'd love to win games and win a premiership, but
also part of our job is to develop some young
players.
"That's what our best advertising tool will be
if we can get some players drafted."
Leigh MacDonald, Sean Bourke, Rob Young and Kade
Stevens all trained with Richmond in hope of a
rookie position.
That did not eventuate for the promising quartet
but Flood had no hesitation in snapping them up
for the Coburg list.
"I think we've got some really exciting young
players here," Flood said, adding that the
Calder Cannons had been a strong recruiting link.
"From that point of view, we've also got some
experienced players - Dean Talbot, Ryan Pagan,
Leigh Carlson and Ryan O'Connor - so we've got
a good core of four or five senior players.
"One thing I want to emphasise: there is a real
strength of character of players such as Ryan
Pagan, Dean Talbot, Eric Kuret, Leigh Carlson.
"It is those guys that have really stuck together,
they've really been the impetus for the young
players to follow them.
"They probably held the club together to some
degree last year."
Young Aboriginal Alex Isailovic has burned
on the training track, as has former Cannons
Travis Jorgensen and Nat Caruso.
