![Leader: New Dennington playing-coach Ben Thornton will mentor the Dogs in season 2021. Picture: Anthony Brady Leader: New Dennington playing-coach Ben Thornton will mentor the Dogs in season 2021. Picture: Anthony Brady](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc7czaa3mg8pjjgf683ld.jpg/r71_234_4438_2820_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
New Dennington playing-coach Ben Thornton isn't wasting any time.
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The 24-year-old has already managed to draw a host of new and old faces to the club for Warrnambool and District league season 2021.
Zeb McKenna (Lake Bolac), Reggie Barling (South Warrnambool), Cooper Graham (South Warrnambool), Jonny Malone (Panmure), Ryan Bunney (Russells Creek), Izak Campbell (Allansford), Casey Simms (Allansford) and Matt Dwyer (Port Fairy) are on board for 2021.
Thornton said he had reached out to friends and old teammates and some had reached out to him.
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![Bring on 2021: New Dennington coach Ben Thornton and assistant Luke Pearson with seven of the club's new recruits. Picture: Anthony Brady Bring on 2021: New Dennington coach Ben Thornton and assistant Luke Pearson with seven of the club's new recruits. Picture: Anthony Brady](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc7czaa8rghpcoc6gw3lf.jpg/r110_158_3088_1901_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
It's all part of his plan to help the senior team be competitive again.
"(I want to) help the club grow, get it back to where it should be," he said.
"We were pretty successful for a long time, we've had a couple of down years, so I want to help get them going again."
He explained why he decided to go for the senior coaching role.
"A few of the blokes backed me in when I got asked," he said.
"I had Luke Duncan and Darcy Lewis offer their support so to have blokes like that saying they would help me out was pretty good."
Thornton, who has Luke Pearson as his assistant, said Duncan and Lewis would also be mentors around the club next year.
"Having them around here, their presence, a lot of people lift when they're here," he said.
"So it'll be really good to have them up here among it."
The new coach wants his young team to improve on their consistency next year and be in games until the end.
"Last year, there were a lot of games where we were in it and then fell out of it towards the end," he said.
Off-field he wants to encourage juniors to train with the seniors.
Thornton, a midfielder-forward, returned to Dennington last year after playing senior football with South Warrnambool in the Hampden league.
He said he gained valuable experiences with the Roosters he would take to his new role.
"I learnt a lot off blokes like Liam Youl and James Hussey that I'll take into the coaching side of things too," he said.
He missed the beginning of season 2019 with Dennington due to being in America.
He had also played some junior football with the Dogs.
Thornton's grandfather Noel played more than 400 matches for the club while his dad Damian and uncle Travis have coached the senior team.
Dennington finished bottom-of-the-ladder in 2019 and the WDFNL 2020 season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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