Incoming Lalor senior men’s football coach Angelo Lamanna says developing youth will be a key focus as he aims to rebuild the club into a more competitive outfit in 2022.
Lamanna joins the Bloods following previous coaching stints at EFNL clubs Bayswater, Croydon and Lilydale, as well as Olinda Ferny Creek and a pathways role with VFL outfit Casey Demons.
Speaking to NFNL.org.au, Lamanna sees a lot of potential with his new club and believes only a few tweaks are needed to get the Bloods to become a competitive force in 2022.
“Looking at their scores I know they weren’t far away. I know they came second-last, but they look like they were quite competitive in parts of their game,” Lamanna said.
“My style of footy is about being competitive for the whole game defensively.
“I guess it’s creating that initial list of young players and just the style of footy that I would like to bring down there.”
Lamanna’s focus is to develop the current crop of younger players at the club, in order to help the build the club for long-term success.
“I’d like to try and continue to work with that 22-25 age group,” he said.
“We want longevity at the footy club, so we want blokes to be there for a long time.
“Bringing in some senior or older heads probably doesn’t give them a lot of time in terms of their footy. We’re looking for more players in that 22-25-year-old group.”
Lalor has managed just five wins in the past three seasons, each of which have been recorded against Reservoir.
But Lamanna won’t let that deter his ambitions at Lalor Reserve, saying the club has the infrastructure in place to turn things around.
And he said he is looking forward to getting to work with the playing group, where he hopes to build an environment where all players continue to develop and enjoy their football.
“We want to really breed a culture of Lalor being a fun place to be at,” he said.
“Also just learning the game, learning the aspects of being a competitive side.
“When I talk about being competitive, I mean being competitive right across the board not only for just parts of the game but being a strong unit in all facets of a match.
“I think there’s been a really good hype around the place lately.
“We’ve got four new coaches on board in total. Myself, two new assistants and a new reserves coach, so there’s some excitement around the place.”
Any players looking for a fresh start are encouraged to contact Angelo Lamanna on 0434 380 232.
