Northern Football League

The coaching staff for the 2010 NFL Junior Development Program have been announced after an exhaustive process carried out by Football Operations Manager, Jarrad Carey, and AFL Victoria Community Development Manager, Phiv Demetriou.

They were assisted in the process by former Collingwood player Ron McKeown, who has joined the program as the Junior Development Coordinator. McKeown and Carey will be involved in the planning and executing of the program next year. 

“Getting someone like Ron involved, who has an extensive coaching background in both senior and junior grades, is a massive coup for the league and will be terrific for all the youngsters involved. Ron and his entire family are wonderful people and that was particularly important when securing Ron’s services,” said Carey.

As well as appointing McKeown to the role of Junior Development Coordinator, Matthew Oakley has joined the program as the Coaches Coordinator.

“Matt is an amazing junior football coach who has been involved with the Northern Knights for several years now. He’s someone who the players always seem to relate to and his experience and ideas will be terrific for the coaching staff and squads alike,” said Carey.

The NFL continue to strengthen its alignment with the Northern Knights, with all three of the Knights’ Under 16 coaches being appointed to roles within the 2010 NFL Junior Development Program.

“A strong relationship with our TAC Cup feeder is probably what’s been missing in the past, but we have made a concerted effort to align ourselves more strongly with them over the past 24 months. More importantly, the 3 guys (Oakley, Talarico and Eldrett) we have on board from the Knights are all terrific blokes and great citizens who will be enormous role models for the young men in the program.”

Several members of the 2009 coaching staff will remain involved, but it is the new additions that has Carey excited.

“The fresh ideas of guys like Sam (Fiorini), Vince (Romano) and Michael (Inglis) will only add to the strength of the program and will complement the experience of our head coaches beautifully,” he said. 

The head coach of all four of the teams will be supported by two assistant coaches which has been implemented to provide greater development and more intimate mentoring for players in the program.

“We promote the ethos that in this program we aim to make the kids not only better footballers, but also better people, so it’s important that all of our coaches fit into that mould,” he said.

In 2010, the NFL will again field two teams in both the Under 14 and Under 15 sections of the AFL Victoria Junior Metropolitan Championships, which kick off on the Queen's Birthday weekend.

The coaching line up is as follows, with Carey providing some background on each member:

Head Coach – Adrian Talarico

“Adrian was in charge of our 15s in 2009 and, quite simply, he is one of the most outstanding junior coaches I have ever come across. He is heavily involved with the Northern Knights as the Football Coordinator, and I’m delighted he has decided to continue his relationship with the NFL in 2010”

Assistant Coach – Sam Fiorini

“Sam is someone that I deliberately chased. He has been the coaching coordinator at the Greensborough Junior Football Club for the past two years and has had over seven seasons of junior coaching experience. Sam also came highly recommended by Matty Oakley”

Assistant Coach – Michael Inglis

“I didn’t really know much about Michael when he applied, but he knocked our socks off in the interview. His background is in Sports' Psychology and he has spent over 3 years at the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup. Michael has some great ideas, and I’ve got no doubt the players will love him”

Under 15 White 

Head Coach – Peter Gersh

“Gershy has been involved in the program for over two years now and is a great football person. Gershy has a background in coaching at all levels, including Under 19s at Footscray prior to the days of the TAC Cup. His expertise and experience will be wonderful for the boys”

Assistant Coach – Brett Potter

“Brett is an extremely keen young coach who has had stints at several NFL clubs. He coached the South Morang Under 14 team to a Grand Final in 2009 and has previous experience at Watsonia and North Heidelberg Seniors.”

Assistant Coach – Darren Boulton

“Bolts is another who I was really keen to get involved in the program. He has coached the Montmorency Under 17 side in recent years, is all about player development, and was recently named the AFL Victoria Youth Coach of the Year, which is an amazing honour”

Under 14 Blue 

Head Coach – Darren Eldrett

“Darren is one of the most enthusiastic and passionate footballing people I know. He was in charge of our Under 13 program in 09 and will carry that knowledge and experience through to the 14s. Like Adrian, he is an Under 16 coach at the Knights.”

Assistant Coach – Vince Romano

“Vince is the coaching coordinator at the Parkside Junior Footy Club and came highly recommended by Adrian and Darren. I went out of my way to get Vince involved and was rapt when he agreed to come on-board”

Assistant Coach – Ash Brown

“Browny is the Community Development Officer for AFL Victoria in our region, and was involved in the 2009 NFL program. He is only young but has some great ideas and the young players really seem to relate to him. Browny is also the captain of Banyule in the Ammos”

Under 14 White 

Head Coach – Phil Cattenazzi

“Phil was the coach of one of the Under 15 teams in 2009 and took them to the Grand Final, so it’s awesome that he will stay involved next year. He has an extensive background in junior development and the Metro Champs, and we were very happy when we poached him from Yarra Juniors at the end of last year.”

Assistant Coach – David Mitchell

“A terrific young coach who is all about the kids. Mitch was an assistant in the 2009 program and has recently been appointed as coach of the Bundoora Bulls Under 19 team next year. He’s definitely a young coach to keep an eye on”

Assistant Coach - Jason McCall

"Jase is a well known NFL person, a stalwart at the Parkside Footy Club and has been on their coaching staff for the last three years. He's also recently taken up a coaching position with the Northern Knights Under 15 squad and is keen to improve his development. Jason is another high quality person who has come into the program for 2010."

Players who are selected to join the 2010 program will be receiving invitation letters prior to Christmas, with ‘Meet the Coaches’ evenings scheduled for early February.

If you require further information on the NFL Junior Development Program, please contact Jarrad Carey on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .