IN 1997, Craig Black captained the Dandenong Stingrays.
Now he will coach them.
The 34-year-old was appointed last Wednesday afternoon, replacing 10-year coach Graeme Yeats.
Black will be the Stingrays' fifth coach in their 21-year history.
And he is genuinely excited by the challenge, passionate about helping young players fulfil their dreams.
"It's always been a good region for talent, we've got to keep coaching them the right way and hopefully we can get some kids drafted,'' he said.
"We mainly get judged on that. If we win the flag it's good but I'd much rather have five kids drafted at the end of the year and finish third than win the flag and get two kids drafted.
"It's all about giving the kids an opportunity to play AFL footy, or if not, playing good VFL footy.''
As a player, Black was drafted by Carlton and went on to be a fine VFL player with the Frankston Dolphins.
He coached Somerville and has been assistant coach at both the Dandenong Stingrays and Victoria Country Under 18s.
For the past four years Black has worked closely with Yeats at the Stingrays and learnt a lot.
"Yeata has done such an awesome job for 10 years, they are going to be big shoes to fill,'' he said.
"Yeata was fantastic for me. He gave me a lot of responsibility and mentored me along the way.''
Black said he would approach his former Frankston coach Brett Lovett to have a mentoring role at the Stingrays next season.
http://m.heraldsun.com.au/leader/bayside/craig-black-returns-to-the-dandenong-stingrays-as-coach/story-fngnvli9-1226742479933
Last Modified on 28/10/2013 22:26