Werribee coach Paul Satterley has taken a job with the Melbourne Demons. 62485 Picture: SARAH MATRAY
BY MICHAEL ESPOSITO
TEN days ago Paul Satterley was preparing Werribee for the next VFL season. Three days later he had accepted a job as an assistant coach at Melbourne.
Satterley had no designs on an AFL coaching job next year until a week-and-a-half ago when new Melbourne coach Mark Neeld offered him a role as a forward line and development coach, and by Monday night he had made his decision.
“It’s not everyday a senior AFL coach rings you and says he’s got a job for you. In the end it was probably a pretty easy decision I think,” Satterely said. Werribee, which appointed Satterley as its inaugural full-time coach at the start of the season, has consequently paid a price for Satterley’s success. He took the Tigers from 13th last year to a preliminary final this year, all while establishing a new game plan that mirrors AFL-affiliate North Melbourne.
Tigers president John Nicol said it was “no surprise that a quality individual like Paul would be on the AFL radar”, after his impressive performance in his first year as a VFL coach.
Satterley no doubt benefitted from having had a working relationship with Neeld at TAC Cup level five years ago, when Neeld coached the Western Jets and Satterley was an assistant.
“It’s all about opportunistic timing,” Satterley said. “I dare say than Neeldy wants to surround himself with people he can trust.
“You have to give absolute total commitment to the senior coach, and he knows he’ll get that from me, and I think I got to go in there with a willingness to work as hard as I can.”
Satterley coached TAC Cup side Northern Knights in 2007/08 but left full-time coaching to take up an opportunity in a senior sales role at Don Small Goods. He came on as a part time development coach at Werribee before being offered the role as senior coach of the Tigers.
“I feel a little bit vindicated now that I’ve made the right decision because a year ago I left that job (at Don’s Smallgoods) which had that level of security and it was a bit of a punt for me to get into the footy circles because you don’t know what could happen, but 12 months on I feel like it’s been a great decision.”
The 1995 J.J. Liston trophy winner said working closely with North Melbourne this year has opened his eyes to the world of AFL coaching.
“For me to get the sort of insight that I’ve had this year into an AFL environment, whether it be sitting in the box with Brad Scott, or sitting on their post and pre-game reviews, and the support I’ve had from John Lamont (North Melbourne development coach) this year and his involvement with the Werribee Football Club.”
Satterley said he told Werribee CEO Mark Penaluna about his discussions with Melbourne as soon as he got his first call from Neeld, and had been transparent with the club about the progress of the talks.
Nicol said: “While we are sad to see him leave Avalon Airport Oval, history tells us that another chapter will begin for Werribee under a new coach. Paul joins the likes of Alastair Clarkson, Donald McDonald and Chris Bond as former coaches of our great club who have gone onto AFL level.”
