After a sabbatical from coaching, Darren Martin is back doing what he loves and looking forward to a successful three-year tenure at the Lakes Entrance Football Netball Club.
Martin was appointed on Monday afternoon and can’t wait to get on the phone and talk to last year’s list and sound out their plans for 2025.
Martin has had an extensive football journey which saw him have a distinguished career as a player at Paynesville, Bairnsdale, Lindenow and Newborough, before senior coaching roles at Paynesville and Bairnsdale, highlighted by the 2013 East Gippsland Football Netball League premiership with Paynesville.
He played in four premierships in five years for Newborough in the Mid Gippsland Football Netball League under the coaching of Craig Skinner and Dean Caldow, who he rates as the best player he has ever played with.
In his time at Bairnsdale, Martin built some good relationships and got to know a lot of players who now play football locally, which will hold him in good stead going forward.
He sees the Lakes Entrance role as a great fit and is delighted to be back coaching in his backyard.
“We were the caretakers at the caravan park for six years the first time and the whole time I was involved at Bairnsdale. It’s great to be back at the park and coaching locally,” Martin said.
The club’s professionalism really impressed Martin during the interviewing process.
“I would say it was a very exhaustive process and definitely the most professionally run coaching interview that I have encountered in my time in football,” Martin said.
Martin isn’t coming in with a radical plan, just hoping to build on the work that 2024 coach Ben Rotheram started.
Martin is keen to get Rotheram onboard as an assistant coach and get other great football brains like Andy Stevens involved.
“Ben did a great job building a real culture, standing for something and creating a disciplined approach to the way the club goes about things, while still having fun. We will try to build on that. He’s at the top of my list of people to be involved.” Martin said.
The club’s great junior program excites Martin and he hopes to continue to nurture those youngsters through the program, while hopefully enticing some former players back to the club.
He will be keen to chat with people such as Harry Warfe, Fraser Dostine, Liam Carroll, Xavier Woodland, Bryce Collings and Tom Duncan.
“It would be great to entice those players back, to combine with our youth. If we get this right, we can ensure sustained success,” Martin said.
Depth is the key for any football club and Martin is keen to see 35 players on the training track on a Tuesday and Thursday night.
He watched the Seagulls five times throughout the season in 2024 and liked what he saw and thinks with a better run with injuries the wins will come.
Although it’s only early days in the planning, Martin will be keen to implement a game plan where the Seagulls get the ball inside the forward 50 and structure up behind it, hopefully making it hard for the opposition to work the ball out.
Pre-season training will start in November, with ball use the emphasis.
PLEASED WITH APPOINTMENT
Martin, who manages the Lakes Entrance Recreation Reserve, has been a name on the Seagulls radar for a number of years and the club has finally landed its man.
LEFNC president Kevin Giblin and committeeman Paul Hopkins made the announcement on Monday afternoon, ending weeks of speculation.
“The club has for a number of years endeavoured to be proactive and secure a coach early to allow an extensive planning period and we have finally been able to achieve this,” Giblin said.
The club was delighted to have two excellent candidates and are delighted to secure the services of the passionate Martin.
“We had a two excellent candidates, which is often not the case, our wonderful coach from last season, Ben Rotheram and Darren Martin, an experienced coaching tactician, who we have selected after a thorough process,” Giblin said.
Both committeemen were glowing in their praise of the efforts of Rotheram in 2024.
“Ben did an excellent job in 2024 and we will be forever thankful for his efforts and everything he did in creating a culture and belief in our young and evolving list,” Giblin said.
LEFNC believes Martin is the man to lead them forward and they are hopeful he will have the assistance of Rotheram in an assistant coaching capacity.
“Darren has a long, proven record as a junior and senior coach, including a premiership at Paynesville, who were similarly placed to us when he took over. He suits our developing list,” Giblin said.
More coaching appointments are expected at the club in the coming weeks.
