Barnard Chasing Sustained Success Ahead of 2020 Season

Jeremy Barnard knows first-hand what it takes to reach the ultimate success.
 
The former skipper and now Coach took East Perth to WAFL premiership glory three times in the early 2000s (2000, 2001, 2002), and most recently coached Sandringham to the TAC Cup premiership in 2016.
 
Approaching his second season at the helm of the Royals, Barnard said he will draw on his past experiences as a player to help guide the Royals up the ladder after a disappointing 2019 season.
 
“One of the things coaches can lose sight of is empathy with their players,” said Barnard. 
 
“I reflect back on my time at the club and it certainly wasn’t all premierships. We had some good times and years throughout my playing career and you draw back on that, but you also identity what our behaviours and standards were when we weren’t so successful and what made us a successful club.”
 
Barnard is confident that he and former teammate and now Senior Development Coach, Russell Thompson, will be able to draw from the experiences they had while playing under premiership coach Tony Micale.

“We had a high performing team that motivated each other and held each other to high standards,” he said. 

“That’s where we need to get to if we want to be a successful football club.” 
 
While the primary goal was to blood young talent and re-build the club following the end of the Eagles-East Perth alignment in 2018, Barnard also acknowledged the need for improvement in on-field performance.
 
“With our review that we did at the end of the year, we sort of looked at it in two parts.
 
“We gave a commitment to the playing group that were still here from 2018 that we would give players more opportunities than perhaps they would have got under the Eagles-East Perth alignment. To that end, we played 45 players and we had something like 12 or 13 first game players. I’m quite certain there would have been no other club in the WAFL to have done that.
 
“On the other hand, East Perth has always prided itself on being a successful club and the reality is that we finished second last. It doesn’t sit well with me, the players or the football club. Next year we’re looking for a greater rise up the ladder.”

While some of the club’s senior players missed patches of the season with injury, Barnard said he was pleased to see others step forward. Overcoming a bad run of luck with injury, Barnard said Jackson Ramsay led from the front.

“We were really pleased with Jackson,” he said.
 
“For him to get through, play State footy, win the Best and Fairest and grow into a fantastic leader - we thought that was terrific for us.”

Barnard said he was impressed with recruits Angus Scott and Eddie Simpson, but said it was especially pleasing to see the internal growth of Ajang Ajang. 
 
“We recruited Angus from Victoria in the VFL system. We gave him more exposure to the midfield, which perhaps he wouldn’t have got back at Casey in the VFL. He was terrific for our training standards and leadership, which was a real win for us. 

“Eddie Simpson came across from Claremont and grew into a fantastic key position player for us. We also saw the internal growth of Ajang Ajang, who really developed, as well as a couple of others. Those guys played a terrific role for us throughout the season.” 
 
With the 2020 season approaching, Barnard said he was excited to see Kye Willcocks, Jaxon Cahill, Jamie Rudrum and Mitchell Dobson continue to develop.

“Those guys that played six, seven, eight league games last season, they need to step up now. As the club grows, we want those players to grow with us, to make us a sustainable and successful league side.”