New West Preston-Lakeside senior men’s coach Ian Aitken is looking to bounce back with an exciting young side that aims to compete among the best in the upcoming 2024 Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 season.
The Roosters battled through a year of hardship in 2023 after finishing ninth on the ladder with just five-wins for the season, missing the finals for the first time since 2016 as a result.
Consistency through continuity will be key for the club moving forward and a return to the club for new head coach Ian Aitken seems to be the first step on the pathway back to contention.
Aitken was the assistant coach with the Roosters during their 2018 Division 1 premiership run after taking Kew to three consecutive flags in the VAFA from 2013-2016 during his first stint there as head coach.
He has also experienced success at the highest level, having played 67 VFL/AFL games with Carlton and St Kilda, which included being a member of the Blues 1987 VFL premiership side.
Ahead of his return to J.E. Moore Park, Aitken discussed what drew him towards making the decision to come back as well as what to expect under his leadership this coming season.
“There was a couple of guys there that pestered me and some on the footy committee pestered me… I’ve got good relationships with them,” he said.
“There’s a lot more players than when I was there in 2018 and a lot of committee members, but the club has got a good vibe and where just looking to be competitive against all teams.”
Aitken also explained the impact that Roosters co-captain Max Dreher had on his decision to return to the club in a coaching capacity.
Dreher was arguably West Preston-Lakeside’s most influential player in 2023 after being the club’s sole representative in last year’s Division 1 Team of the Year, while also winning the Roosters’ best and fairest.
But with previous connections from the duo’s time at Kew, Aitken is looking forward to re-uniting with the 24-year-old.
“I coached him during junior footy, so I have known him a long time. I know his family well, played cricket with his dad, played tennis with his Mum,” he said.
“He’s [Max is] one of the main reasons I came back to the club.”
If it wasn’t apparent that a new era was entering West Preston-Lakeside with Aitken’s appointment, it would look to be the case following the departure of multiple premiership greats over the off-season.
This includes two-time premiership stars Ahmed Saad and Alex Federico as well as 2018 grand final best on ground recipient Mark Kovacevic and 2023 VFL-listed recruit, Mohammed Yassine.
But the Roosters will be given an extra hand this season to combat those departures, with some new faces set to make the move to the club.
Coburg listed defender and former North Melbourne rookie Tom McKenzie joins West Preston-Lakeside following 14 VFL games in 2023 as well as reigning Inglewood best and fairest winner Bregon Cotchett.
Meanwhile Kobe Brown is back for a second stint at J.E. Moore Park after signing from Deer Park. He had previously played 18 games for the Roosters between 2021 and 2022, kicking 12 goals.
Aitken praised the arrivals of Brown and McKenzie in particular, highlighting the benefits the pair’s VFL experience will have on the squad, but was also quick to emphasise the task he has on building the club back up as a collective rather than placing importance or expectation on a single player.
“They’ll [Brown and McKenzie] add the experience and on-field support, so they’re going to be really vital for the young guys on the field,” he said.
“I don’t want to single out anyone in particular, but a couple that played under 19’s who played a number of senior games last year and a couple of new blokes at the club look good.
On top of the new inclusions expected to grace the field for the Roosters this year, signs of growing development within the club are already being shown through early training sessions that are placing emphasis on being first to the football and having the belief that success is always within reach.
Above all else, the main expectation for the club in 2024 is to compete against the best teams, which Aitken hopes will rebuild the mentality that West Preston-Lakeside is worthy of being a finals side.
“They’re really buying into training sessions that were delivering, getting quick to the footy and going over some good strategy so everyone is really happy,” he said.
“It’s just giving a good game plan, having good players play into it and from there, the good players get belief through that.
“We’ll have quite a strong backline, and we know our backs will be good, it’s just having a good run with injuries in the end, then you can pretty much compete against anybody.”
