Q&A Luke Webster

With the 2017 season about to kick off tomorrow for the Royals down at Leederville Oval, we had a quick chat with Coach Luke Webster ahead of tomorrow's season opener against Peel Thunder. 

Q. How do you feel you have settled into your role as Head Coach of East Perth Football Cub?

I am extremely excited to be back at my home club and grateful for the opportunity to lead us into the future. I believe I have settled into the role well and am looking forward to seeing our improvements in 2017.

Q. It’s a very different playing group this year; a lot of younger guys coming through the ranks; what’s the atmosphere amongst the squad this year?

We are certainly a younger group this year and I am excited by the youth we have coming through. We have also gained some senior experience by adding Patrick McGinnity to the list and effectively having a new recruit in Kyle Anderson, who’s returning from injury.  The atmosphere amongst the group has been excellent so far, with a real focus on unity and a desire to improve.

Q. Has it been exciting working with such a different group of guys? How are they different from last year’s side?

It’s always exciting working with an enthusiastic group of men, especially those at East Perth. Their desire to improve and the joy they take in working hard together makes my job so much easier. The real differences from last year will be not having Moss, Wulff and Johnson running out for the team. However this will provide great opportunities for the likes of Scott Jones, Tom Hodgson, Asher Samelko, Shayne Hille, Callum Hart, Mitch Lague and Stan Wright, to name a few.

Q. How did you feel the pre-season went for the squad? Are there any lessons you’ll take into the regular season?

Like all clubs we have had a solid pre-season and will now look to put everything we have trained into practice. Time will tell if there are any lessons learned, but at this point in time we are in a good place to attack the season head on.

Q. Looking to the regular season, what are the most important objectives you and the players are focusing on?

Like all clubs our objective will be to win enough games to put us in a position to play finals footy. We want to play our brand of footy and if we show a willingness to compete, then the rest will look after itself.  Our final objective will be to have a mindset of ‘black and blue, through and through!’

Q. Who are some young guns people should watch out for in the 2017 season?

I am really excited about all the players on the list and our supporters should be enthused by the talent coming through. A few of those talented guys to watch are Scott Jones, Tom Hodgson, Asher Samelko, Shayne Hille, Callum Hart, Mitch Lague, Stan Wright and Jack Hick.

You can catch all the action down at Leederville Oval. Games time are as below: