When Chris Baratto finished playing over 35's football, and with a son who was looking to move into the senior ranks, he said it was a natural progression into looking at senior men's coaching position of the Cowra Eagles.
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"We sort of went from there," he said by way of explanation.
However, while the step into senior coaching was logical one for the well-known local sportsperson and teacher, deciding what to impart has been a more complicated process ahead of the 2019 season.
"They’ve played soccer for a while," Baratto said of his players, "...but I’m not quite sure their understanding of the game is what it could be.”
With that in mind, the new coach has educated the nuances of concepts like ball movement, while like every coach, seeking to find the necessary fitness and skills gains teams seek each year.
"[We're] trying to get guys to run more than they’re used to, and run smarter than they’re used to,” Baratto said.
"We’re just trying to lift the standard and the knowledge of the game more."
The boost in numbers has helped in that regard, with more than 30 committed to the season so far.
"Numbers have been good," Baratto said, adding that the despite healthy numbers the challenge is maximising players by converting that into an ongoing commitment to training.
"We can’t get everybody training at the same time obviously [and] we can always do with some more [players]."
The numbers will, however, allow for a second team to form, something that Baratto believes will help to improve the form of the team, with the better players getting a more uniform and competitive environment in the senior side, while more socially minded players will find their measure in a lower grade.
“That’s what we wanted to get, because in the last couple of years, they’ve probably had a mixture of both in in the same team," he said.
“That’s a very hard blend to try and a play a game with."
Baratto however, has stopped short of making predictions, suggesting that training is only a partial guide for a season's trials and tribulations.
"What they train like and what they play like are definitely two different things.”
The Cowra Eagles are currently training at Macpherson Oval on Sunday evenings, starting at 6 pm, but over the coming weeks will move to Col Stinson Reserve at a date to be determined.
