After a highly successful 2022 season claiming the Steeline Bendigo Bank Limestone Coast Football Association A Grade premiership, Gambier Centrals Soccer Club wasted no time in re-signing Brodey Koop for the top job for the upcoming 2023 season.

This was the first year that Koop had coached at the top level, and to secure the LCFA holy grail in his first season was an exciting time for both player and club.

“It was my first year at coaching at any level, so I came out on top which was pretty exciting, that’s for sure,” Koop said.

For Koop, the start of the season was a bit of an unknown, with the first-time coach saying it was filled with a few nerves.

“Going from a pure playing role to taking on the coaching role there is always uncertainty whether you continue the right way,” he said.

“Or whether the crew would be accepting of it or as supportive as they were, but they have been brilliant to me.

“Any nerves were eradicated early on.

“Shane Dycer as president backed me in early right from the start with no coaching experience before that, so to have the support from him was brilliant.

“Also having Sam Shoemark and Tom Naviskas as my support staff there, they were brilliant and all strengths worked well with each other during the year.”

Koop managed to take the pitch several times, before injury prompted him to stick to the sidelines.

“I did play at the start of the season, but old age and the old body caught up with me in the end, “ he said.

“By the end of the season I was just full-time in the coaching role.”

This enabled Koop to excel from the sidelines, concentrating on honing his coaching craft.

“I really enjoyed it and was more (familiar with) the team on the side,” he said.

“Once I got injured I went and helped the young ones out that came in (to the team) and took their opportunities.

“So, they did more than I ever could and deserve all their success.”

Winning premierships is no mean feat and takes a lot of hard work and dedication and Koop proved this with the way he went about the 2022 season, ultimately getting the reward for his efforts.

“It means everything, winning a premiership is what you set out to do as you start the season,” he said.

“We understood with the group of fellows that we had together we were in a very good position to do that, but we understood that it was going to take a lot of hard work to get there.

“It was not going to be handed to us, so actually raising that trophy on the last day and being able to do that was ecstatic.”

Looking ahead to the 2023 season, Koop said plans were well under way for Gambier Centrals and he hoped to retain this year’s core playing group.

“We are just enjoying getting away from the sport at the moment, but the way we plan and my preliminary talks with most of the squad is they are all keen to go again and win another premiership,” he said.

“So most likely our core squad will be the same, but in saying that, we will look for ways to strengthen and improve the team.

“Our Under 17s won the premiership this year as well and we are really excited by that group of young fellows coming through, so we will not have to look too far for players because a lot of these young fellows are itching to take an opportunity.

“The core group that we had this year, they are going to have to work their butts off to retain their spot with depth in the wings for 2023.”