By Liam Twomey
The search for a new head coach has come to an end for the Werribee Football Club after it appointed Western Bulldogs legend Scott West to the role for the 2012 season.
West joins the club after holding an assistant coaching role at the Melbourne Football Club for the past three years.
He said he is looking forward to taking over the position and running his own team.
“I think going into coaching there is no set pathway in terms of how to achieve getting to where you want.
The ultimate would be to be a senior AFL coach but you get a lot of advice and you talk to a lot of people as you go through the system in regards to what the best pathway for that is,” West said.
“So many people said to me that going and coaching your own organisation is a paramount learning experience because as an assistant you just don’t get that same feeling.
“I think it will be really good for my development.”
West played 324 games for the Western Bulldogs and won a staggering seven club best and fairest awards.
The Tigers will be hoping he is the right man to take them to the next level, after they lost the preliminary final this year to Williamstown.
“We strive for the ultimate success. Part of my role and part of any coach’s role will be to develop players individually and as a team.
“There will be changes to the list with players coming and going but once we know what the list is, we will sit down as a club and put our ambitions and aims on paper,” West said.
“I haven’t had a great deal of time to have a massive look at it (the playing list) but from what I’ve seen, they have a really good strong core group of players.”
Not surprisingly, West is expecting a similar attitude from his playing group that he showed on the field.
“It’s all about the team. If it’s your turn to go, it’s your turn to go. It’s not going to be about the bloke who kicks the goal or the guy who takes the highflying mark,” he said.
“If we are not all on the same page and heading in the same direction then we won’t have any sort of success.
“That’s what I’ll be asking and that’s what as a coach I’ll be demanding that each player undertakes.”