It’s the beginning of a new era for the Kyneton Football Club with a league and coaching change confirmed on the same day.
Amid the changes, incumbent coach Ethan Foreman said he has never felt so positive about the Tigers.
Foreman debuted for the Tigers as a 15-year-old, he then moved to Riddell, winning best on ground in their 2013 premiership. He later moved to Gisborne winning a premiership there last season.
For 2023 he jumped back on board at the Tigers as a player and under-18s coach, now he is ready for the top job. Foreman will be playing coach.
Paul Chapman had coached the side this year but stood down mid-season due to other commitments.
“I can’t wait to get started,” Foreman said. “It’s going to be a pretty full on challenge but I’m ready and can’t wait to get started as coach.
“There’s a vibe around the club that I haven’t experienced.
“Everyone’s so up and about, about the move, I think it’s the best thing for the club and I can’t wait for it.”
Kyneton’s request to join the Riddell District Football Netball League was approved by AFL Victoria on Wednesday, the same day the club took to social media to announce Foreman as coach.
The club had been playing in the Bendigo Football League.
“We’ll get to play against sides that are a little bit closer to us,” Foreman said.
“Some of the rivalries that we will create with the towns close to us like Woodend, Macedon and Riddell. I can’t wait for it and I know a lot of our supporters are keen on that and a lot of our players are as well.”
After finishing in sixth for the last two seasons, just one spot outside of finals, Foreman said he is wanting to keep his core group of players while also looking elsewhere for parts he doesn’t yet have.
“We’re looking at locking in our main local guys and our main Melbourne guys from last season, and then having a real focus on getting some of that local talent back that we’ve lost over the years,” he said.
“We’re going to focus on getting players back that have left the club over the years.”
That’s something that Foreman said will be easier to do now that the club is in the RDFL. With how the Tigers will go in a new league hard to put a gauge on, Foreman said there are promising early signs.
“It’s hard to set goals at this point,” he said.
“But we believe if we can hold the majority of our list and bring in a couple of top ups with some local talent, it’ll go a long way and hopefully make a push towards RDFL finals.”
The Tigers also announced the re-signings of Harrison Huntley, Ethan Turner and Cameron Manuel.
