The 29-year-old electrician returned to the club this season from overseas and while coaching wasn't always on the agenda, he was pointed in the right direction by some trusted allies.

"The club was looking for a coach and I had a few phone calls from the president [Lynette Burt] and Anthony Axton gave me a call and Luke Crane as well - they just basically thought I was the right person for it," he said.

"It got me thinking about it for a little and stewed on it for a few days and I came around to the idea and thought it was the right call."

ELSEWHERE IN SPORT

First order of business for the new leader is getting the George Town community back on board while recruiting and retaining some of the top-flight local talent.

He believes the recent under-21 NTFA Shield premiership will be "a good selling point" for recruitment going forward with a promising future on the horizon.

"I came back from being overseas and got involved with the 21s and I didn't actually know half of them before I got back.

"I got to play a couple of games as one of the over-agers and stepped out in the finals but they're a good group, they bring a lot of excitement and are keen so I'm looking forward to working with them and hopefully introduce them all to senior footy.

"It was good to have that year to get to know all the younger blokes at the club because a lot of them were new to the club and when I was here two or three years, half of them weren't playing at the senior club."

Zanevra is set to have a strong support base behind him with Axton and former George Town player and Old Scotch coach Shaun Muller acting as his assistants.

"It was one of the main reasons I took the job in the end as well because I knew I'd have some great support.

NTFA FINALS FEVER

"Acka is one of those guys, he was my coach when I won my first two flags early on.

"He said he's keen to jump on board and help on the bench and Shaun Muller is keen as well, so there's some good old faces coming back to the club.

"Their experience will be great for me and especially for the under-21s and all the guys that are going to play."

The coaching change brings an end to O'Sign's four-year stint in the role, with the 300-game veteran unsure of his next movements

"I'm just at a stage of my career where I'd like to focus on playing as I'm 36 next year and have probably one or two years in me," he said.

"George Town would also benefit from a different voice and I would love to coach again, possibly at a higher level but don't want that added commitment for a year or so."