On grand final day last year, Johno Leoncini was getting ready to take over the Central Highlands Football League reigning premiers in season 2018.
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He had played a big part in Hepburn’s triumph, sitting next to senior coach Jason Olver throughout the campaign.
Despite his hopes, Leoncini was overlooked for the job as Olver’s replacement.
But Clunes came calling and it wasn’t long before the non-playing leader had put pen to paper to make his senior coaching dream a reality.
Leoncini has taken charge of a Magpies outfit that battled under Nemani Valucava in 2017, winning just three games before finishing second last on the ladder.
And his key objective in year one is to earn back some respect.
“As I’ve said from day one, respect is the biggest key for us,” Leoncini said.
“The respect from our community, respect from our supporters, respect from our league and respect from our opposition.
“How do we achieve that? Be competitive and absolutely try to win every game possible.
“Internally, we have done our own (goals) and the vibe around the community has been fantastic. We’re really moving ahead.”
The Clunes list doesn’t appear greatly bolstered, but a couple of new faces have caused some excitement.
Tall Nic Clarke is expected to fill roles in the ruck and up forward, while multiple Navarre premiership player Matt Newton is likely to hold down a position in the team’s defence.
Another big in for the Magpies this year will be past best and fairest winner Mark Paramonov, who injured his anterior cruciate ligament early last season. He is a chance to be selected for round one.
“The good thing is that we have lost no real star-studded player and we’ve recruited pretty good,” Leoncini said.
“We have some good key inclusions and they are good quality people that come with that.”