![New Maryborough coach Coby Perry. Picture Maryborough FNC. New Maryborough coach Coby Perry. Picture Maryborough FNC.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/G3M3FqVFYHjdnjXX9zgHHX/cf53258f-a621-47f1-a0b7-5608e66962b5.jpg/r37_0_391_448_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
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COBY Perry has taken the reins as the new senior coach of Maryborough in the Bendigo Football-Netball League.
The Magpies have moved quickly to find their replacement for Rick Andrews after he informed the club late last week that he was stepping down from the role.
At age 25 Perry - a gun midfielder - will be the youngest senior coach in the BFNL next year, but his leadership traits have long been on show at the Magpies as both senior captain and assistant coach with the club.
"I've done quite a bit across the club over the past few years and now have the opportunity to coach," Perry said on Thursday.
![BFNL: Coby Perry steps up to take on senior coach role with Maryborough BFNL: Coby Perry steps up to take on senior coach role with Maryborough](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/G3M3FqVFYHjdnjXX9zgHHX/71a5a966-5e14-47f0-8301-8e1e4d25388e.jpg/r0_2_839_703_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I've had some good exposure to coaching in terms of having been assistant for several years and feel like I've done a good apprenticeship.
"It has probably come about a touch earlier than I first would have thought, but I certainly feel comfortable to transition into the role given the experience I've had in working with past coaches in Ben (Lavars), Justin (Abrams) and Rick (Andrews).
"They have provided me with heaps of insight and always guided me, so I'm really looking forward to it.
"To be honest, it was a pretty easy decision to take on the role given the time I've spent at the club and the roles I've been in."
To be honest, it was a pretty easy decision to take on the role given the time I've spent at the club and the roles I've been in
- Coby Perry
Perry is a best and fairest winner with the Magpies who has previously been on a VFL list at North Ballarat, while in 2016 he was a BFNL inter-league representative.
Perry takes over a Maryborough side that was winless this year.
"As a club we know exactly where we're at and that is going through a rebuild phase," Perry said.
"We successfully completed the return of the under-18s this year, which was a big tick as a club and we've got some exciting talent coming through that group.
"Our player retention has been high, which is a positive. Jayden Hooper is retiring, which is a loss for us, but other than that I feel we're sitting pretty good with our retention."
Perry will oversee his first training session at the helm of the Magpies next Monday night.
![Coby Perry in action. Coby Perry in action.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/G3M3FqVFYHjdnjXX9zgHHX/96ffeb48-9371-46a8-9bda-241b7db44ac3.JPG/r0_219_3652_2272_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I'm confident with the pre-season program put together by Liam Latch that the boys are all in good shape," Perry said.
"Pre-Christmas training is all about getting back together as a group, getting the footys out and creating a good feeling and then we'll ramp it up early in the new year.
"I'm super excited by the opportunity. It's the club where I played my junior footy and once you realise the dream of playing at a higher level closes on you, all you want to do is come back and help your local club, whether that be as captain or coach or help take it to some level of success.
"I live and have a business in the town, so I'm very heavily community-orientated and I think that's a key point for building a sustainable environment at the club as well.
"My focus is to provide a thriving environment for the players to develop and grow and also help them grow outside of football."
Maryborough with Perry is joining Castlemaine (Brendan Shepherd), Gisborne (Brad Fox) and Kangaroo Flat (Nathan Johns) as clubs that will have new senior coaches next year, while Bryce Curnow has joined Sandhurst as co-coach with Ashley Connick.
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