PLAPP JOINS HAWKS AS DEVELOPMENT COACH
Wednesday, 27 January 2010

By Daniel Dufty

Rising up to VFL ranks, Justin Plapp will take over Box Hill’s second string side for the 2010 season.

Plapp will take the reigns over from Dale Bower, who moves to the EFL to coach Scoresby, in Bower’s greatest coaching challenge yet.  

Coaching TSL club the Burnie Dockers (formally apart of the NTFL 2001-2008) for the past two seasons, Plapp had huge success taking the side to a preliminary final in 2009, following runners up in 2008 when they lost to a very powerful Launceston side.

In the NTFL, Burnie Dockers had won five consecutive premierships between 2001 and 2005, but fell short in 2006 and 2007, missing the finals in both seasons.  

Plapp brought back the spark, whilst juggling impressively the dual role of playing coach, for the success the club gained in 2008-2009.

Plapp joins fellow Tasmanian and Senior Coach Brendon Bolton.  

With Bolton at the club, the decision was a whole lot easier for Plapp.

“I think the foremost thing was having a relationship with Brendon over a long period of time, and liking the way Brendon goes about his coaching” 

“I think what he’s trying to achieve, with his proven ways he goes the way about it and his philosophies with football really interests me, and probably the direction I want to learn” Plapp said.

Once called the “King of Tasmanian Football” by The Mercury’s “Darryn Perry”, Plapp is held in high regard as both a player and coach.  

Plapp is a most inspiring player and leader of his warriors, known for sensational marking in his playing days. Leadership is a key to Plapp’s make-up; while on-field his goal kicking ability is well-known for slotting majors at important times.

While his playing career may be over and his main priority is coaching, there is still a small possibility of him playing at Box Hill. 

“I’ve had a couple of knee operations just before Christmas, one that was quite big”

“I turn thirty-three this year, so my goal is to play”

“But, I’ve got a couple of months of pretty full training ahead to make sure that I prepare myself and give myself every opportunity. If I’m up and going, and my bodies a hundred percent and eventually I’m right, I definitely will have a crack at playing. But that doesn’t mean I’m definitely going to play senior football because there is a lot of talent in the players at Box Hill, and a lot of Hawthorn listed players too that we are going to have access to on a week to week basis”

“I’m just going to ponder along and just see how I go with it, and if it happens that’s great” 

“But coaching is definitely what I’m focusing on”   

Plapp’s experience at all levels is unsurpassed with mentors of the past including Robert Walls, Malcolm Blight and Grant Thomas. 

Box Hill now gains a diverse apprentice.

“When it comes down to the experience side of things I think that’s probably a great deal that I can offer Brendon and the club” Plapp said.   

As a coach, Plapp’s success shows his ability to connect with his players and achieve results.

Not only is success important, but the development of players.  

“Yes I come this year as Development Coach so I’m developing (coaching) the reserves team”

“And look, I suppose when you go into a role like that, you’ve got to have that your foremost main objective. It’s not about results. It’s definitely about getting kids developed and playing senior football” 

“I think my time at Box Hill especially doing that role isn’t going to be a result driven role, but it’s definitely going to results with the players and how they develop, and get to play senior football a lot quicker.

“I’m also helping coach the forwards, and hopefully play. So I’ve sort of got a mixture of roles”  

Plapp’s past resume, which includes AFL/TSL/SANFL stints, holds Box Hill in strong hands for the clubs development.

A favourite son of Tasmanian Football, Plapp originally caught the attention of AFL clubs after booting 98 goals in 1996 for the Burnie Dockers, which was the most by a player in the TFL Statewide League that year.  

Picked up by Richmond with pick 8 in the 1996 Rookie Draft, Plapp played 18 games between 1998-99. In 1999, Plapp was traded to St.Kilda for pick 39, and played a total of 26 games in three seasons (2000-2002).

Firstly a forward, Plapp played on the half-back flank at St.Kilda. In total, Plapp played a total of 44 AFL games, and kicked 30 goals. Plapp was also nominated for the Norwich Rising Star in Round 15, 1998.  

Since his AFL days, Plapp has played in the SANFL with the Port Adelaide Magpies and the Tassie Devils in the VFL, before moving back to the Burnie Dockers.

However one moment still haunts Plapp whilst playing for Burnie Dockers in 2009. He missed a set-shot at goal after the siren in his side’s preliminary final against Clarence at Aurora Stadium, which could have set-up a grand final birth. But fate can be a cruel master, and Burnie went down by just three nail biting points.   

Although his last playing memories may be tough, a new challenge awaits him at Box Hill.

“It’s very exciting from this point of view, at this time of the year. We’ve picked up three or four really key players that are definitely going to make an impact. We picked up Luke Ablett who played 133 games with the Sydney Swans and a premiership player, Shaun Pollard from Frankston who’s been the Captain for the last four years and played well over 150 games of VFL football and Jackson from Perth who’s had a bit of AFL experience too”

“I think that’s really exciting, three players especially, because I reckon they are in the top ten players, outside the AFL, Luke and Jackson. With the young fella’s developing and what they have builded on from last year, it’s definitely heading in the direction of being an exciting and a successful year”.

“Given that there are no injuries and I know in the good of the moment, it’s a priority that they want to move on where they left off last year, and that was close, but not close enough. You can feel that in the group already” Plapp said.  

Box Hill is pleased to have “Plappy” on board as the side looks for back-to-back VFL Reserves premiership success in 2010.