Sam Fisher says he’s honoured to be given the chance to coach the Northern Jets next season, in partnership with Darren Jackson.
The talented midfielder has been promoted from assistant to co-coach and said he and Jackson are focussed on leading the club into the finals.
“It’s a pretty big privilege, to get offered that job back at your home club,” Fisher said.
“It’s what you sort of hope you can do from when you’re a kid, it’s a big honour.
“Hopefully we can take that next step and go deep into finals.”
Fisher enjoyed a stellar season on his return home, taking out the Jets’ best and fairest award and representing the Farrer League.
It’s what you hope you can do from when you’re a kid, it’s a big honour.
- Sam Fisher, Northern Jets co-coach
Reuniting with brothers, cousins and the mates he grew up playing junior footy with made the year a memorable one, even if the Jets missed the finals on percentage.
“He’s a great leader,” Jackson said.
“I’ve known him since he was a kid and he just works in well.
“He’s a born leader and he’ll want to coach, so it’s a good experience.”
The club is confident the combination of a playing and non-playing coach will be a success and Fisher is looking forward to the added responsibility after a season as Jackson’s assistant.
“It was good. Darren definitely took the club in the right direction and just to feed off his knowledge last year, I learnt a fair bit,” he said.
Fisher also learnt plenty playing in three premierships with Temora.
“I can take a bit more training and work on what Mark Kruger brought into the Farrer League – that running up and down the ground, getting a lot fitter – and Darren will run things on game day from the sideline.
“I think it’ll work out real well.”
The Jets are hopeful of retaining their current players, including young gun Lachie Flagg and Declan O’Rourke travelling from Canberra, so the co-coaches’ priority now is recruitment.
“With our kids coming through, we think we only need three or four players,” Jackson said.
“We’ve got to get a gun forward, that’s the number one priority.”
Fisher said the Jets are also chasing a versatile tall but with the way the team wants to play, a key target up forward is crucial.
“We want to use our young players on the outside and deliver it in hopefully to a big full-forward instead of swapping everyone in and out of that position,” he said.
The Jets finished equal fifth on the ladder, with eight wins for the season.
Victories over finalists Coleambally and North Wagga in their last five games suggested there’s plenty for the club to build on.
“I was pretty happy with how they finished off,” Jackson said.
“We’ve just got to get a bit fitter and get our tackling a bit better to get up to the top sides.
“It’s all good, I’m hoping we can be right up there for next year.”
