HAMILTON Kangaroos Football Netball Club (HKFNC) senior football coach, Hamish Waldron announced that he will not be seeking reappointment to the role for next season to the HKFNC playing group after their latest game against South Warrnambool at Reid Oval, on Saturday.

Waldron has held the reins at the Kangaroos for the past two years and during that time the club has been undergoing a rebuilding phase as it seeks to play finals in the Hampden Football Netball League (HFNL).

“I’ve been thinking about it (stepping aside) for a few weeks,” Waldron said.

“I spoke with Lachie (Patterson – HKFNC President) and the Board early last week and told them of my plans and that I wanted to announce it to the players after the South game, and they have been nothing but supportive to me.

Waldron has been an inspiration at the club having been a foundation player back in 2013 when the club began playing in the Hampden FNL, and in that season, he was named as vice-captain.

From there he rose to captain the side, then became an assistant coach and in 2022 he was announced as the senior coach when he took over from Gerald Fitzgerald.

Waldron enjoyed success as a coach in only his second game in charge as the Kangaroos accounted for Warrnambool in round two in 2022.

“That first win was a highlight,” Waldron noted, “in fact all the wins were highlights across both seasons”.

The team went on to win in rounds five, seven, eight and nine to offer supporters a hope of reaching the finals but a heart breaking one-point loss in the return game against Warrnambool in round 11 put paid to any final’s aspirations, but the side would win one more game for the season to hand Waldron six wins in his first campaign.

With these successes under the belt, the club looked to 2023 with renewed vigour but again it would prove to be a tough lesson for the Kangaroos as the club saw several senior players leave the club which resulted in Waldron blooding many of the Kangaroos’ premiership winning Under-18.5 team from 2022.

“That is one thing that I have been able to do this season with the future of the club in mind,” he said.

“To hand a young player their start in senior football after they earned their place, is something I see as a highlight.

Coaching is an all-encompassing job and Waldron noted how it was for him in the role.

“I would be thinking about the game, the players, the opposition team we were playing that coming weekend and how we were going to handle them all the time – at work, at home and not just at the club,” he said.

“Of course, there were tough times especially when we couldn’t get commitment fully from everyone, with players being unavailable at different times.

With Waldron remaining in the role for the rest of the 2023 season, there is still unfinished business for the retiring coach and the squad.

“I’d like to think we can win two of our last four games,” Waldron said.

“We beat Camperdown back in round eight down there and I think we can do so again at Dunkeld, and this week against Warrnambool at the Reid Oval is another we are targeting.

“We normally only get one game a  season on the Reid, but here we are with two games in succession on it and the boys now know what it takes to win there.

“At this stage I hope to continue playing next season and hopefully I will coach again in the future as its something I really enjoy.

“To have the chance to coach my home club, is something I want to thank the Board for the opportunity.