New Wollongong Wolves coach David Carney has wasted no time in the off-season following the re-signing of last season's captain and top goalscorer Lachlan Scott.
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Scott, who has been at the Wolves since 2019, used to ply his trade for A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers. It was a disappointing year for the Wolves last season in the National Premier League with the side finishing ninth on the ladder, however the Wollongong local was the shining light, scoring 13 goals which made him fifth in the league's top goalscoring chart.
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"I'm a local boy and it's is always good to represent your region and your home town," he said.
"Last year was pretty disappointing with our results so I feel like we're going to come back with a bit of a chip on our shoulder this year and hopefully under David we can get off to a flyer and have a really good year."
Scott said the thought of perhaps playing in a National Second Division or the A-League one day with the club would be a dream come true.
"When you play for your hometown it does mean a little bit more so to be able to be in the position to get the Wolves to the top of where they can be and to be an important part of that process would be a massive achievement for me and I would love to build into that as my career goes on."
The 25-year-old said the thought of working with Carney at the club was a massive opportunity for him given the calibre of his new coach.
"His resume speaks for itself really, he's been around the game for a long time and he has had such a successful career," Scott said.
"To be able to learn off him will be a great experience for me. I've really enjoyed talking to him about what we want and the direction in which he wants to head so I'm just looking forward to getting out there and training with him now and working with him on the field."
Carney said he was happy to officially begin his plans for next season and said re-signing a player of Scott's ability was high up on his agenda.
"I'm delighted to have Lachie back for next season," he said.
"He's a good player and a good target man. He's got all the attributes to be the league's best player so I'm looking forward to getting him firing next year.
"He is someone that is still very young but he is also very experienced. He has had a taste of the A-League and he's come back and he was our leading goalscorer last season. He is very respected at the club and around the league and I'm hoping to get even more out of him."
Carney added it was important for him to be able to hold onto the club captain in his first season in charge.
"In my first coaching job I'm going to need professional, experienced players. To get Lachie's signing done was great and I know when he is fit and firing and enjoying his football he can achieve big goals and I want to help him do that."
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