North Albany stick with experienced coach Brad Bootsma for 2023 Great Southern Football League season

North Albany coach Brad Bootsma says he is looking forward to reaping the rewards of his young side’s continued improvement ahead of the 2023 Great Southern Football League season. Bootsma will return as league coach for his second year in a row at the helm of the Kangas after returning to the club last year. The 50-year-old won four premierships with the Kangas from 2005-08 and played 23 AFL games for Fremantle across two seasons. He also played 162 games across 12 seasons for South Fremantle in the WAFL. The Kangas endured a tough season in 2022, finishing in fifth place with a win-loss record of 2-13. However, Bootsma said he was buoyed by a stack of returning young talent in their quest to rise up the ladder. “When you look at the games played last season, we were pretty competitive,” he said. “I think this year we’re looking to turn some of those closer losses into wins and try and get back into the top four. “We’re aware that’s going to be pretty tough with how the other sides are still going and we know we have a bit of work of to do. “There were some games that we could have won last year and didn’t, which was probably due to being young and still learning. “We’re definitely going to continue to improve and if we keep developing the young ones we’ve got, I think we can still move forward with the team we’ve got.” The 2008 Alan Barnett medallist said the decision to return as coach for 2023 was a simple one to make. “It was an easy decision for me; I think we took some steps forward last year even though the win-loss ratio was the same as the year before,” he said. “We’re working hard in preseason; there will be a slight change in game style and with more fitness under our belts, we’ll be able to execute a bit more I think. “We’re going to keep pretty much all of the young players together. “If you continue losing it becomes a culture but if you can turn that around, winning becomes a culture as well. “I guess we’re in that rut of losing at the moment but once we flip that mindset around, things will change pretty fast.” Ross Barnett will coach the Kangas reserves side, Paul Tysoe will take the reins of the colts and Jeremy Sutherland will be the 16s coach.