Bairnsdale Advertiser: It’s great to catch up with premiership-winning coach, Shaun Mooney, as he tries to add to his impressive record this Saturday when Lucknow does battle with Boisdale Briagolong. How many flags have you coached?
Shaun Mooney: Two, both at Bairnsdale, 2009 and 2010.
BA: Lucknow is chasing its first senior premiership since 2012, are you feeling the pressure?
SM: Not really. From my point of view I’m just really enjoying the opportunity to coach. I think the feeling of the football club this year has been amazing with four teams involved on grand final day, two football and two netball.
BA: Do you have many other players who have played in senior premierships?
SM: Andrew Nelson (Narre Warren), John Gooch (Sale), Ash Smith played in the last flag in 2012 and obviously myself.
BA: You have put together a good list and the season has gone along relatively smoothly apart from the injury to Nick George.
SM: It was disappointing missing the finals last year and as a club we have had to do a lot of work to get to where we are heading into the weekend. To everyone at the club who’s been involved, it’s a real credit and a reward for effort.
BA: How have the boys come through the semi final victory? What have you been doing behind the scenes?
SM: Last week we concentrated on recovery and training, trained normal on Thursday and again on Saturday morning before heading to Lindenow to watch our reserves. This week will be similar on the track. With two teams involved, numbers will be good.
BA: Obviously you have lost Brendan Flinn to suspension, which is a cruel blow. Who is in line to replace him?
SM: Look it’s disappointing and devastating for Flinny, he’s been part of the club set up for years and real big part of this push for premiership glory. His unavailability does create an opportunity for someone else. We have played a number of different guys in the finals this year so it will be someone who knows the structures. We are still working through selection but we will be looking at guys like Damian Hodder, Logan Croucher, Tim Keyte, Kyran McNaughton and Jack Kennedy, to name a few.
BA: Who will be your key players be in the grand final?
SM: Honestly in grand finals you need a consistent performance across the board.
BA: Who are their key players?
SM: The midfielders are important and they drive their offensive power, which averages over 100 points a game, which is huge. You know if you allow guys like Reeves, Jolly, Egan and Brunt time and space inside 50 they will make you pay. We will need to play a high pressure game to win.
BA: What are Boisdale Briagolong’s strengths?
SM: The forward firepower and the fact they are really well balanced. They made last year’s grand final and made some smart recruiting calls which has seen them near the top of the ladder for most of the season. They have lost three games for the year, all under five points. They are a good mix of experience and age.
BA: What are your side’s strengths?
SM: We have got a really solid group that has played a really consistent brand of football, led by Jesse Glassborow and Andrew Nelson. I’m really proud of our efforts and we’ve got huge task ahead of us on Saturday, but we are up to the challenge. In the second half of the year we have began to kick some good scores after struggling early in the year.
BA: Have you learnt much about your opposition in the past two weeks?
SM: Saturday was a tough game and there is nothing between the top three sides.
BA: Why will you win the game?
SM: Defensively we are very strong and we will need to stand up in the crucial moments. We will need to maximise our opportunities and keep their good players under pressure.
BA: Good luck.
