NEW Turvey Park coach Michael Mazzocchi says senior players making a commitment to playing for the Bulldogs again next year has given him belief most of the pieces are already in place for the Riverina League's 'sleeping giant' to become a powerhouse.
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Mazzocchi fronted Bulldogs training on Thursday, where he addressed the under-15 players before Sunday's grand final clash with North Wagga.
After agreeing to terms to coach the club for the next two years, plus an option for a third, Mazzocchi confirmed this year's interim coaches Josh Ashcroft and Chase Grintell had already re-committed for 2021, and expects most of the current squad to follow suit.
"We're going through our current player list at the moment and it's fantastic the two guys who took the role on this year have both committed to the club in Josh and Chase," he said.
"That's a massive confidence boost for me, knowing the culture is really good and they're not looking to go anywhere.
"Of the 20-odd blokes we've interviewed, probably 95 per cent of them have committed.
"Josh is a spiritual leader of the club. Regardless of whether he has a title or not he'll be one of my leaders, definitely."
After spending the last few years with the GWS Giants Academy, Mazzocchi is confident he has the coaching tools and experience to mould the Bulldog's strong junior stocks into established senior players.
He won't hammer the cheque book by chasing many recruits, but conceded they need to land a couple of big fish to compete for flags and help nurture the youngsters.
"The thing that attracted me to the club was I didn't have to bring ten blokes here. There's a really good core and a talented mix from the 15s, right through to the 22 or 23-year-old age group," he said.
"We're not hiding the fact we need to attract a couple of real class footballers, because we're here to win premierships. What will help us get there is a couple of top-enders."
Ashcroft took over the role with Grintell this year after incumbents Mark Carroll and Jeremy Sykes opted not to continue, but said earlier this season he was keen to hand over the role in 2021.
"I'm just at that age where I should be hitting my prime, and I'm ready to be coached by someone else," he said.
"'Zocc' is the man for that and I'm excited about it."
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