By Tyler Lewis
It will be somewhat of a homecoming for Daniel Charles when he takes the reins of Officer in 2023.
After a season away from coaching, Charles has been appointed as senior coach of the Roos who will begin season 2023 in Division One of the Outer East competition.
Fittingly, he will step up to the plate an even four decades after his father Stephen led the then ROC Football Club to its maiden open-age premiership.
“I have fond memories from back then and telling dad I was going to go for the job… he got a bit excited, because he really enjoyed his time at ROC,” Charles revealed of his link to the club.
Charles famously steered Doveton from a season without celebration in 2018 to the ultimate glory in 2019.
And with Officer falling from the top flight as a result of just two wins this season, Charles is confident it won’t take much for him to turn this group around.
“I suppose it will help, knowing I have been in a similar situation before,” he said of his rebuild experience.
“It’s just about getting the right people at the club and helping to develop the young kids.
“Having people that are willing to learn to play with their teammates and become really good teammates.
“I think that was the main thing that turned Doveton around; you had people that were willing to learn and improve, whether they were 32 years old, or 16 years old, they did what was best for the team.
“I think Officer is in a similar situation, coming off a tough year this year, but they’ve got some really good kids and hopefully we can get some good senior heads around them.”
Charles spent 2022 coaching an underage Indigenous Victorian basketball side, and while he admits the structure of basketball won’t be comparable to footy, he is looking forward to translating those learnings into a club that’s bursting at the seems with junior participation.
“I really missed it this year, I love coaching, I had the year off coaching football this year, but I managed to get a gig coaching the under-14 Indigenous Victorian basketball team, so that kept me busy for the early part of the year,” he said.
“I learned the way different people learn and how to find structures for other people.
“It’s very exciting, the juniors, it’s one of the things that attracted me to the club, knowing it’ll be nice to coach at a job that actually has an influx of kids coming through each year.
“That part is exciting, I know they struggled on field a little bit this year, but I think they’ve got some talented kids coming through.
“So I think if we can get the right people around them, the bounce back will be fairly quick.”
While he expects the bounce back to be swift, Charles isn’t making any promises on an identical Doveton-like transformation.
However, he is making one promise… his Roos will be entertaining to watch!
“As far as game style goes, I want the team to play a brand that people actually enjoy watching and people enjoy playing,” he said.
“A style that gives those that come to watch something to talk about, make them want to come back next week.
“For me as a coach, my number one asset is that I care, I actually care about the people that I coach, it’s not all about what they can do for you on field, but how they’re going off it as well.
“I have always been one that likes to develop and help people improve.”
Officer Football Club president Nick McLennan was stoked to have Charles put pen to paper and further revealed how he believes the dark times at the Roos will be short lived.
“We’re rapt to get Charlesy,” he said.
“He comes to us with a great deal of experience across a number of clubs, but he also understands what it takes to play in this league and the division we’re preparing to move into next year.
“He ultimately understands how to win a flag in this comp, which for us is very exciting.
“History is always a factor when looking at big decisions, but certainly in the case of Charlesy, he got the gig purely and squarely because he was the right man for the job at this particular moment.
“We now set forth in looking for the other positions within the club, both the reserves and the under-19 coaching roles, as well as a women’s coach for 2023.
“It’s exciting for our club, we’re starting fresh and we’ll soon be putting out an expression of interest for those who want to jump on board.”
A vast majority of the current playing group has re-signed in light of Charles signing on as senior coach.
