The Ararat Rats Football Club has appointed Terry Keilar and Mick Fratin as joint senior coaches for the 2017 Wimmera Football League.
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Fratin is a life member of the club and a former Rats assistant coach.
The popular Rats personality said he was honoured to accept the joint senior coaching role.
“I am very excited at the opportunity at hand to lead such a prestigious club like the Ararat Rats,” he said.
“Being a past player at the club and being involved for the past 17 years and to see the current group and what David Hosking has created is exciting.
“As a club we just want to improve as a whole next year.
“So we are not setting any benchmarks at the moment.”
Fratin said the role was a challenge he would embrace.
“Once you are an assistant coach, it is probably the natural progression to move into the senior coaching role,” he said.
“You always want to give back to the club that has been so good to you over the years, you have to want to lead by example.”
Terry Keilar has moved across from Moyston-Willaura to take up the joint role.
He said both joint coaches will bring a new approach to the team.
“We want to come in with a clean slate,” he said.
“We want to give all the players an opportunity to prove to us what they are all about and what they can offer the team.
“Mick and I will identify some of the areas we need to work on and we will do that early in the preseason so we have time to work on it before the season starts.”
Keilar who is principal of Ararat West Primary School said his education background has provided him with experience that he can draw on while in the coaching role.
“Inspiring young kids to play at a high level and play the best football they can is something I want to try to do,” he said.
“Just ensuring everyone is enjoying their football.”
Club president David Jennings said the new additions are exciting for the club.
“We are extremely happy with the guys we have appointed,” he said.
“Shane Fisher will undertake the new role of director of coaching that will be a work in progress.
“We had a job description that we wanted to fill and Mick and Terry ticked all the boxes.
The coaching chance comes as the 2016 senior coach David Hosking retired from coaching after the season.
Fratin said senior preseason training will start in mid November.