Penshurst appoints new senior football, netball coaches

Cameron Penny will coach from the sidelines and Michayla McRae will be a playing coach.

Penny, who has replaced Justin Eales, will take on a team that went down to Great Western by five points in the MDFL grand final.

The 36-year-old said he wanted to get around last season's list and help them have another crack at premiership glory.

"Priority number one is to secure the existing list, we have a wonderful bunch of boys there," he said.

"From there, we'll look to expand the list with recruits."

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McRae, who has played with the club for the past four seasons, has similar goals.

The 28-year-old said her priority would be to retain the group she played alongside this season - a team that made a preliminary final.

"Definitely, it's obviously getting onto the girls last year - they're my priority at the moment," she said.

"And then recruiting early next year."

Penny, taking on his first his senior coaching role, said he would bring fresh eyes to his new club and league.

He said it meant he came with no preconceived ideas about how things worked.

The Bombers' new leader, who was assistant to former Hamilton Kangaroos coach Jarrod Holt in 2015, said he was approached to take on the role by someone he knew at the club.

"I don't know too much about the league," he said.

"What I do know is that Penshurst has a wonderfully rich culture and is very family-oriented."

He added the club had a strong football history and it ticked all the boxes for him.

Penny, who has been based at Hamilton for the past eight years, is married to wife Erin and has daughters Imogen, Audrey and Florence.

The Bombers mentor, who grew up on a farm in the southern Wimmera, played his juniors with Harrow-Balmoral in the Horsham District Football League.

He played in a 2002 senior premiership before a stint with Horsham Demons in the Wimmera Football League.

Penny won another premiership with (Melbourne) University Blues in the Victorian Amateur Football Association in 2004 before two flags with Horsham Demons in 2005-06.

He played a season with Werribee in the VFL in 2007 before returning to the Uni Blues in 2008.

Penny hung up his boots in 2011 due to knee trouble, finishing his career with home-club Harrow-Balmoral.

McRae, a veterinary nurse in Hamilton, plays a mix of goal attack, goal keeper and goal defence.

The versatile netballer said she was looking forward to the challenge of being a playing-coach for the first time.

"It'll be completely different from standing on the sidelines and coaching," she said.

She added it would be a juggle to keep improving her own game and that of her team.

But the first-time senior coach said she would be supported by one of her long-term mentors - Nat O'Dea.

"Nat coached me a lot in my junior years," she said.

The pair ended up co-coaching the Bomber's 13 and under and 15 and under teams in recent seasons.

They mentored the Penshurst team which won the inaugural Mininera and District league 13 and under premiership in 2018.

McRae said O'Dea would help mentor the A grade side in an unofficial role next season.

The playing coach said she enjoyed being part of the club.

"I love it at Penshurst," McRae said.

"The main thing I love is the support you get from not only the players but everyone behind the scenes."

McRae played juniors at Hamilton Imperials before a stint with new-formed club Hamilton Kangaroos in the Hampden league.

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