The club has announced Tim Garlick and Tyron Baden as its new co-coaches ― but not for the first time.
The Tigers are preparing to move up the table in next year’s Murray Football League after finishing seventh in 2023, two games outside of finals.
The move reflects a growing trend among clubs in the region, with more teams opting to experiment with leadership systems outside of the standalone coaching model.
This is a process Garlick understands well.
“I was an assistant this season, but I co-coached Cobram back in 2017,” Garlick said.
“When the opportunity arose at the end of this year, I put my hat in the ring.
“I had strong ambitions to be a head coach down the line after that, but it isn’t a full-time job and it’s very time-consuming.”
A family lure was at play for Cobram native Baden, citing a desire to be closer to home after being unable to “see much of the little one” during his year playing for Shepparton in Goulburn Valley League.
Both coaches ― Baden taking part in his first senior gig ― are confident in the system.
With friendship posing a major motivating factor, they perhaps have reason to be.
“I’ve always wanted to get into coaching with one of my best mates,” Baden said.
“It’s a perfect opportunity for me to put my foot in the door and coming home to Cobram was a big thing for me with a young family.”
As stated by many embracing a co-coaching set-up, the benefits boil down to more efficient time and resource management.
“You can always bounce off ideas with another person and it will help coming together after each quarter,” Baden said.
Garlick was in total agreement.
“It helps you spread the love and you can focus on one aspect of play as well, whether that’s forward line, backline or the midfield group,” Garlick said.
This year was a down season for the Tigers, having fallen three points short of a premiership in 2022 ― a grand final Baden and Garlick both played in.
“This year was a little setback, but it was good to give a lot of senior exposure to guys who mostly hadn’t experienced footy at that level,” Garlick said.
“We’ve brought outside people in, but it’s all about internal growth.”
Baden sees an opportunity in the upcoming campaign to continue focusing on developing youth and “get our local boys back”.
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