DEVONPORT'S Mitch Thorp believes newly appointed Launceston coach Sam Lonergan could use his State League stint as a pathway to a possible future AFL coaching role in a similar way to Brendon Bolton.
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Thorp became close friends with Lonergan while the pair were playing assistant coaches at Glenelg last year and believes the addition of another former AFL player to TSL coaching ranks will inevitably boost the standard of the competition next season.
He believes Lonergan, at 28, and other young coaches including himself, Aaron Cornelius and North Launceston's Zane Littlejohn are capable of using their State League experience as a springboard to bigger and better roles following in the footsteps of Bolton, who coached North Hobart before going on to roles at the Box Hill Hawks and Hawthorn winning the Carlton job from next season.
"I have had good chats with Sam over the last few weeks, and I was aware the Launceston coaching job was an option for him earlier in the year - we know Sam and his partner and young child really well and our families were close at Glenelg," Thorp said.
"As the year went on, I think it became a bit more real for him and I don't think he made his mind up until a week or two ago.
"He always wanted to get back to the Lonnie club who were good to him at an early age and give something back, and I'm sure they will be a fairly scary opponent in coming seasons.
"It's very exciting for the TSL and I have no doubt he is going to be a very competitive coach and someone who I am now going to have to coach against."
Thorp said he expected Lonergan's AFL experience and SANFL professionalism would ideally place him for success at TSL level.
"He could have done a few things but my understanding is that Sam wanted to coach his own side, and with Brendon Bolton now being a senior AFL coach having coached in Tasmania, it is probably a little bit more attractive now," he said.
"And with the work that Zane Littlejohn has done I think that people can cut their teeth at TSL level at a younger age and it is a pretty good look on your resume, as it is for me personally.
"I think Sam saw this as the next step in his development coaching his own side for a three-year tenure at Launceston, and he will draw a lot of people back to the club.
"If Ian Callinan ends up at Clarence, he will do the same, and Aaron (Cornelius) has been extremely successful at Glenorchy this year, so I think it will be a red-hot competition next year."
