New coach: Former Rochester champion Ash Watson will coach the Tigers in 2023, taking over the role from Steve Stroobants.
Photo by
Bianca Mibus
Ashley Watson has been appointed senior coach of the Rochester Football Netball Club for season 2023.
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Watson, who has been an assistant coach to Steve Stroobants for the past three years, is a former champion of the club and will have a focus on developing the club’s youth.
He, Nathan Ralston and Steve Rasmussen have all worked in assistant coaching roles with the club this season.
Rochester had five debutantes at senior level this season and has a bright future in the Goulburn Valley if the likes of Mitch Cricelli, Nathan Kay Charlie Ward and Declan Pearse can maintain their trajectory.
Watson said the decision by Stroobants to quit his coaching role was on the back of family commitments.
Stroobants has seen the club through two seasons of COVID-19 interruptions.
Watson said it had been a tough job for Stroobants, but he was hopeful of retaining the goalkicking star’s services as a player.
Watson, the 2015 Goulburn Valley league best and fairest, retired from the playing arena in 2019.
The 38-year-old father of four played more than 200 games for the Tigers and won five club best and fairest awards.
Morrison Medallist: Ash Watson was the 2015 Goulburn Valley Football League’s best and fairest winner.
Photo by
Julie Mercer
His father, Bruce, played more than 300 games for the Tigers.
Watson was drafted at number 14 to North Melbourne, from the Bendigo Pioneers, in 2001 and made seven senior appearances with the club between 2003-05.
The former Rochester Primary School student, who is now acting Director of Primary Health at Kyabram District Health Service, has been working with the Tigers’ mid-field in his assistant-coaching capacity.
Watson said his emphasis would be on retaining the Tigers’ current playing list.
“We will be topping up where we can and will look at our local area, to allow players to train,” he said.
Watson said he was unsure of the future of star mid-fielder Christopher Jansen.
Jansen, along with winger Jordan Harper and North Melbourne recruit Shaun Atley, have been the stand outs for Rochester this season.
Atley is re-locating to Sweden, to be with his wife, and will not be at Tigerland next season.
Watson said he expected Atley’s younger brother, Joe, to continue to pursue his opportunities to return to the AFL.
He said he was excited about the opportunity to coach the club where he had played the bulk of his football.
His father, Bruce, coached the club’s only Under-18 premiership team, was a long-time selector and was secretary of the club for many years.
His mother Karen has been in control of the club’s canteen and is a key off-field organiser.
Watson was, himself, a big-occasion player and was awarded best-on-ground honours in the winning 2008 grand final team.
He, and his parents, are life members of the club.
Watson’s wife, Eliza, is a former netballer with the club and their four children — Bobby, Sid, Meg and Sadie — are aged from two to 10-years-old.
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