A long-time servant of the Katandra Football Club, Longley joined the GV Giants AFL Masters set-up last year and instantly became a favourite among the playing group.
Longley said he was thrilled to be taking over the top job.
“It is really exciting, it is a great club to be involved with and I can’t wait to step up and coach the group next year,” he said.
“The thing about the GV Giants and AFL Masters competition as a whole is it is all about playing footy for fun and the club is also very supportive of men’s health, which is something I too am very passionate about.”
When approached by the club to take this opportunity, he said it was a no-brainer as he hoped to use some prior life experiences to help guide the team forward both on and off the field.
“About six years ago I probably wasn’t the best person to be a role model but due to a lot of changes in life I have managed to overcome a lot and really change as a person,” he said.
“So, to take on a role like this it shows my kids and other people close to me that with a bit of perseverance you can change and become a role model to others.”
In what will be his first coaching role, Longley said he was excited to put his knowledge of the game to the test.
“I played all my junior and senior football out at Katandra and won a best-and-fairest in the reserves in 2004 and won the premiership in 2005,” he said.
“It is new for me to step into a coaching role, but I am really passionate about the game, and I think the club can benefit from my experience and love for the game.”
It is a group filled with experience, and Longley envisages it will be quite an easy team to coach.
“We have a very handy side, with a lot of players that are quite talented in a lot of different aspects of the game, so I think they will be an easy group to coach with a lot of experience behind them,” he said.
“I will get a bit passionate at times, but at the end of the day it is all about footy for fun, so I will be taking that approach when it comes to my coaching.”
As next season approaches, Longley outlined what he hoped to get out of the 2022 campaign.
“As long as everyone has fun and comes away uninjured, because at our age we do take a long time to heal, that is all I want to see,” he said.
“AFL Masters is very social, we love going out there, having a kick and then having a beer after the game, so that is really all I want to see again next season.”
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