Northern NPL clubs Launceston City and Northern Rangers go for 2017 season re-set with new coaches Ben Brookfield and Lino Sciulli

After a mixed bag in 2016, the two Launceston-based NPL Tasmania clubs both made coaching changes for this season, starting Friday.

Last year, Launceston City narrowly missed out on a top-four spot, while the bottom-placed Rangers finished a dismal season with just one win against Clarence in their final game.

In response to low goal-scoring, City looked to attack-focused coach Ben Brookfield for a more aggressive direction.

Cross-city rivals Rangers snatched up City’s 2015 coach of the year Lino Sciulli to spearhead a reconstruction, with assistance from former head coach Dane Hudson.

For Brookfield, confidence is high thanks to a strong team and several international imports bringing fresh energy to the mix.

“I think we’ve got probably the strongest playing group we’ve had in recent times,” Brookfield said.

“You’ve always got to do better than the season before, and this group can definitely do that, we’ve got a bunch of young and hungry players.”

Landing Sciulli as Rangers’ head coach role was a chance to rebuild a young team inexperienced in handling such defeat, Hudson said.

“We thought that where we finished last year, especially with a young group, we needed to build them up,” Hudson said.

“Lino’s got those attributes where he can really build up and maintain the confidence that young men need.”

Fresh off the plane from the US, two of Tasmania’s newest soccer imports are keen to start their season.

Launceston City centre midfielder Dylan Williams, of New York, has enjoyed a few weeks of orientation in his new hometown, but Northern Rangers’ goalkeeper John Connolly, of Annapolis, has had less than a week.

Both players were undertaking trials and combines in the US before receiving a phone call that had them booking flights to Tasmania.

“I’m hoping first of all to help the team do a little better than we did last year, and hopefully get some good personal experience myself and just get to the next level,” Connolly said.

Hudson described Connolly as a key part of the team’s rebuilding efforts following a tough season last year.

“From what I’ve seen at training, his distribution is excellent,” Hudson said.

“It’s good to have good players, but it’s [important] to have good people as well.”

Like his new cross-city rival, Williams is tamping down pre-season nerves after only a few training sessions integrating and learning his team-mates’ names.

“I’m hoping to bring an attacking flavour to it, I think that’s one of the strongest parts of my game,” he said.

“There’s always nerves, but good nerves, I’m ready … once we get out there we’ll have a good showing.”

Brookfield said Williams is one of several imports creating a strong attack.