Panthers’ coach to hold off pre-season training until early-2025

Railways coach Rhett Pettit maintains that a December start to pre-season training is too early and will subsequently wait until late January at the earliest while plotting the squad’s 2025 premiership defence in the Goldfields Football League.

Pettit, who at just 40 years of age is already a dual premiership coach, said that the majority of this year’s group that held off Kalgoorlie in the grand final would be retained.

Daniel Leach and Jed Edwards were the likely exceptions but as per the club’s policy in recent years, Pettit said moves were afoot to “top-up” in those areas where he felt the squad could be improved.

Pettit said he was mindful of players being allowed sufficient time to recharge their batteries that could push back the initial pre-season sessions to early February.

“We already expect a lot out of the players throughout the year,” he said.

“And allowing some (extra) time at home while still doing the work that needs to be done seems to work well for us.

“No doubt we’ll miss those two (Leach and Edwards), but talking to two or three players and trying to get them to the town are already in the works.

“That’s been our style over the past couple of years — to try and add two or three players while continuing to build.

“Our colts players obviously figure into that, too.

“I can’t see that changing too much and we’ve been pretty lucky in that the people we have recruited have stayed in town, got good jobs, built houses here and developed great relationships.”

Pettit said he had mellowed as a coach — adamant that senior mentors, just like players, evolved as they gained confidence and experience.

After playing in Railways’ 2011 and 2012 premierships, Pettit spent two seasons as an assistant coach under Rhett Foster, including the 2017 season when Railways won the flag.

“The main satisfaction for me is watching the success stories (among the playing group),” said Pettit, who also coached the Panthers to the 2022 flag.

“Liam Attowe is probably a good example — I wouldn’t have thought he was a huge chance to be playing league football at the start of this year, let alone a finals series.

“To see him develop in the manner that he has after working so hard to get better is among the best parts for me.

“I was probably a lunatic early on (in his coaching career) — I think anyone who went to the footy in my first two seasons would have seen me yelling and screaming and carrying on.

“There’s obviously been a lot of reflection there and a lot of it stemmed from being more secure in the job and generally feeling more comfortable.

“After a couple of successful years, you obviously feel more like you belong, that you know what you’re doing and treating people the way you expect to be treated.

“That’s probably been the biggest reflections for me.”