Pruyn takes over with lofty Swans ambitions

Andrew Pruyn is a Swan Districts person through and through and is humbled by the opportunity to be the club's senior coach, but comes into the role expecting nothing less than Swans being instant contenders in 2023.

Pruyn has been appointed senior coach of Swan Districts for the 2023 and 2024 WAFL seasons as he gets to be in charge of the club that he's spent a lifetime at as a player and in various coaching roles since.

Not only is Pruyn excited and humbled by the opportunity to now be the senior coach, but he is not shying away from his expectations of the playing group that he is taking charge of.

Swans returned to finals action in 2021 and were unlucky to not beat West Perth in that elimination final. For most of the 2022 season, they did appear on track to get back into a finals position before only narrowly missing out despite winning 10 of 18 matches.

Now with the majority of the playing group returning, some players back from injury-interrupted seasons and then topped up with some recruits, Pruyn is expecting big things from the Swan Districts team he'll be in charge of in 2023 and beyond.

"I feel the group is ready to take that next step as well. I feel pretty bullish about how good we will be and that we will challenge, and I feel confident in saying that we will be a real contender in 2023 and beyond," Pruyn said.

"We will be a serious contender in 2023 even though we didn’t play finals this year. It wasn't until the season ended after the Peel game when the realisation hit that we weren't playing finals, it just didn’t feel right.

"I know it sounds funny given how that Peel game went, but we just had a feeling we were a finals team and hadn’t contemplated missing out. Our list is really good and our players are in that right bracket of experience and we haven't lost anyone while bringing in a few to top us up.

"I think we're very fortunate at the moment with our playing group and I really am confident that we'll be a serious contender."

Pruyn had his own playing career at Swan Districts including eight league appearances between 2002-06 before moving into coaching roles that have included being assistant coach under both Greg Harding and Adam Pickering, and three years as the reserves coach.

Given that history and having worked so closely with this current playing group means that Pruyn feels his well placed to take on the job and have an immediate impact without any growing pains.

"It's a massive head start I think and I'm not looking to reinvent the wheel or to change a hell of a lot, but I know all the players and I know the framework around them," he said.

"It's just a matter of aligning that and I feel the changes will be things are just obvious things in terms of what we're trying to achieving. Having that knowledge I do feel is a big advantage for me."

It was a conversation with Swan Districts' last premiership coach, Brian Dawson, that made Pruyn seriously consider taking on the senior coaching job, and more importantly believing the club would actually consider appointing him.

Once he was then appointed, he was understandably proud and humbled to be named the coach of the club that has been such a big part of his life.

"It's a pretty proud moment to be honest. It's a bit of a reward I suppose for an involvement over a long period of time and those efforts in all honesty," Pruyn said.

"It's very humbling and it's certainly an honour knowing the people who have gone before me in that role. I've got an immense amount of respect for all of them and still speak to several of them. It's humbling and certainly something I'm proud of.

"I was actually having a conversation with Brian Dawson and he asked why didn’t I think about going for the job and before he said that, I hadn’t really thought too much about and I thought someone to be senior coach had to have AFL coaching ambitions or to have those goals to move on and progress.

"But for me that's not what it's about, I just really want to do what’s best for the club. I've got a relationship with many people there and not just players, but all sorts of people who have been there since I was a kid," he added.

"You sort of look around and see them and that's the motivating factor for me when I decided this was something I wanted to do. I want to do it for all those people as well as the players and yourself, but in a way it's rewarding for everyone who has had involvement as a person and the club over the years. It did feel like a bit of reward for effort in some ways."

There was a lot to like about what the Swan Districts team of 2022 did even if it didn’t quite end up with the finals appearance everyone was hoping for.

Jesse Turner, Aidan Clarke, Tobe Watson, Jarvis Pina, Josh Cipro, Brandon Erceg, Tony Notte, Anthony Stephens and Chris Jones all played at a high level.

You also had Lachlan Riley, Mitch Bain, Ryan Kemp, Jehb O'Donohue, Will Collins, Tom Edwards, Jackson Beck, Seb Bright, Cian Ehlers and Matthew Germs show plenty but also are players where Pruyn is looking for further improvement from.

"I think it comes with another season under their belt and another pre-season. You look at the players who had decent seasons in 2022 and guys like Lachie Riley, Matt Germs, Cian Ehlers, Ryan Kemp, Jehb O'Donohue and guys like that, and it was pretty much their first years," Pruyn said.

"I think the growth you'll get with those sort of players getting more comfortable and confident will be an area to give us some natural improvement. We'll add in some players as well and then there are guys like Nathan Ireland who we hope will be injury free so there's a few guys who will be massive for us in our continued improvement."

Life as a senior coach generally changes most people, but Pruyn is hoping that's not so much the case with him as embarks the biggest challenge of his football life.

"Hopefully it doesn’t change my life too much, but we'll have to wait and see. For me it's probably about taking on a few extra responsibilities and trying to find the right mix of people who can come and help me who I can distribute some roles to and provide me with the right assistance," he said.

"Like anything I'm not unaware that you've got to get in and do some hard yards early to hopefully pay off some rewards down the track. It's obviously occupying a lot of my time at the moment but I understand that's just part and parcel of taking on the role."

The overwhelming feeling that Pruyn has right now is excitement. Not just because he is the man to lead Swan Districts forward, but the ambitions the club has to bring a premiership back to Bassendean for the first time since 2010, and just the second time since 1990.

"I am super excited. I feel like reconnecting and reaching out to a lot of people who love the club, and have been associated with the club over the last few weeks really does excite you," Pruyn said.

"You realise that the club means so much to a lot of people and we believe we are a real chance to build towards something pretty special. So it's exciting to go out to talk to these people who have a connection to the club and you want them to jump on board because 2023 and beyond is going to be pretty exciting for us.

"To also speak to the players and all the conversations so far have me really excited to recorrect what happened this year and put our best foot forward because they all know their best is good enough to make us a contender. We just need to get to work and start getting it done next year."