New Helensburgh Thistles coach Paul Michlmayr reveals his 2024 plans

The former Fernhill and Cringila mentor was unveiled as Helensburgh Thistles' new boss last September, taking the reins from previous coach Andy Paine.

It's Michlmayr's first IPL head coaching gig in almost three years, since parting ways with the Lions midway through their 2021 campaign.

Since, he's spent time as an assistant coach to Stuart Beedie at Port Kembla.

However, Michlmayr is now enjoying the chance to lead his own team, with the Thistle kicking off their campaign against Wollongong Olympic on Sunday, March 3.

"I moved along with Stuart to Port and had a couple of years there learning under him, so it was about re-engaging again under a coach who has been there for a long time. But it was on the proviso that if another opportunity arose, I had his blessing to move on and take up another role as head coach," he told the Mercury.

"Being an assistant coach is a specialist role and you've got an input into what happens. But at the end of the day, you have no decision-making ability. So it's nice to have control and be able to make some decisions, and I live or die by them. So I can implement what I think and the style I want to play.

"The assistant role certainly gave me some understanding around how that role fits, and what I can do. And now, I've got an assistant coach who can do the same for me."

Michlmayr has had a long-term association with the Premier League, which began about 20 years ago. His move into the coaching side of the round-ball came over a decade ago.

"The league is quite a competitive league," Michlmayr said.

"The players all know each other, and they've played with each other, so I think there's a competitive spirit to it. Everyone seems to move every couple of years and they play against each other, which adds a little bit of spice to it. But it also has great quality too for a semi-professional competitive, there's a lot of good players.

"I'm loving it (being back). I've got a great squad and I've got a great club that I'm working with. The players are really buying into what we're trying to do, so there's a good feeling about it right now. It's been a great fit for me, the core group get along really well.

"They all seem to be good mates, there's a lot of banter on the field and at training, but it's all in good spirit. They're all having fun and enjoying themselves.

"But they also know when to knuckle down and really focus in our sessions. I'm really enjoying that camaraderie."

Helensburgh have been one of the quieter teams during this year's off-season, instead focusing on retaining their talent and promoting youth for the 2024 Premier League.

The Thistle have added former Macarthur Rams player Harry James to their squad, while their key re-signings include Vaughan Patterson, Dylan Caton and Luke van Zyl. The likes of Jayden Calver - younger brother of former A-League centre-back Aaron - will also get their opportunities this season.

Burgh are looking to build on last year's promising return to the IPL, where they finished mid-table with eight wins and six draws.

"They're a young, fit and athletic side who can move the ball around fast, and they play with freedom to play. It's not really regimented, there's no real style, but we're really hard to handle when we keep the ball in motion," Michlmayr said.

"We want to play semi-final football, that's absolutely our goal. We've bulked up with a few experienced NPL2 players to give us a little bit more quality and experience in the side, to know how to win games. Last year, they had a lot of draws, so we needed some experience to say 'okay, we've just got our heads in front here, how do we hold this one out'?

"So we believe that a few more players in the side with some high-level experience will help."