Coming into a new club as a football coach can be a daunting experience, but for Tim Clarke it was quite the opposite.
Clarke, who joins the club as a Development Coach, moved up from Melbourne at the end of last year after serving in a similar role at Carlton for three years, and Richmond for six before that.
“When I first got up here, the CEO, the senior coach and the players were very welcoming,” Clarke told SUNS Media.
“A big part of my coaching philosophy is about family and you already see it really clearly here at the footy club.
“I’m really excited to be a part of that, hopefully I can bring something in regards to that too.”
A big aspect of Clarke’s family philosophy is about developing and fostering relationships which he says opens the door for more honest and effective communication.
“Coming to a new state and a new club, the first two or three months is all about building relationships with the players and building relationships with the staff,” Clarke said.
“Once you start to build those bonds you can really start to dig deep into the coaching.
“The players have been outstanding, the coaches have been terrific and hopefully over the next few weeks we can start to see some of what we’ve been working on start to come out in games.”
Clarke has been overseeing the development of the club’s forwards and is excited to work with some of the club’s highly-rated draftees.
“We’ve got a young group down there led by Pete Wright,” he said.
“The injection of Jack Lukosius and Izak Rankine into the forward line; they’re first-year players (and) they bring a lot of excitement and a lot of energy.
“Combined with the older guys already at the club like I mentioned with Pete, there’s a lot of work to do.”
Clarke and the rest of the coaching panel will get their first opportunity to see the playing group in action against genuine opposition this Saturday.
The club will be hosting the Brisbane Lions in a practice match as part of the SUNS’ Family Night Out.
Clarke says it will be a perfect opportunity for players to push their case for JLT Community Series selection with an eye on the regular season opener on March 24.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who are fighting for positions,” Clarke said.
“So when Saturday comes around there’s a lot of guys that are keen to show what they can do.
“It’s a really good opportunity for us as coaches to see what different players can do when they’re working alongside guys that they haven’t played with.
“With young Jack, Izak and some other young guys as well – it’s going to be exciting to see how those players fit into the side.”
