By LIAM TWOMEY
MARCUS Barclay is the new head coach at St Albans.
After being part of the assistant coaching panel for the past two years, Barclay is replacing the departing Ian Denny who stood down at the end of the season.
As well as his experience with the Saints, Barclay was head coach at Albion in 2011, taking the club to a grand final and he has also coached Essendon District Football League side Keilor Park.
The club made the final decision just after the WRFL best-and-fairest night, with Barclay rapt to be leading the Saints into the future.
“I have been there (St Albans) for a couple of years now as an assistant working under Ian,” Barclay said.
“I played against Ian and played under Ian and then coached with him so I obviously learnt a lot from him.
“I think it will be a very easy transition and a very smooth transition.
“If there is any job that I could choose it would be at St Albans especially after being there for the last two years.”
The Saints are coming off an impressive WRFL season, making the Division 1 finals.
However, after beating Altona twice during the home-and-away rounds, St Albans couldn’t topple the reigning premier in the elimination final.
“I think in a nutshell, the top five sides this year weren’t that far apart,” Barclay said.
“I think the problem that St Albans had was that we couldn’t maintain that consistency week in, week out.
“When we play at our best, we can compete with everyone but every other coach will say that too. I think we just need to bridge the gap.”
With a vast array of exciting young talent on the way through, coupled with an experienced leadership group, Barclay is hoping some smart recruiting can set the club up for a big 2014 season.
“I think every club wants midfielders but if we can get a few experienced players to continue the development of the young players, hopefully that bridges that gap and we can stay competitive.”
