New Nomads coach eager to make his mark

Harry Dobson has taken up the role vacated by Clarrie Barker.

Having grown up in South Australia and then living in Western Australia, Dobson lives and breathes Australian Rules Football.

Prior to arriving in Armidale in 2022, he spent eight years at the West Coast Amateur Football Club as a player and assistant coach, roles which he hopes will help him in his new gig as coach of the Nomads.

"But I am doing it because I really love footy and I am probably getting towards the end of my playing days. So I want to see if my philosophy and my desired game plan can be executed the way I want it to," Dobson said.

"I am pretty aware I am going to make mistakes and hopefully people will be sympathetic if I communicate well enough to them."

Although he moved to Armidale in mid-2022 for an opportunity at The Armidale School, the Nomads was the next stop for Dobson.

He hadn't even hit the tarmac at Armidale Airport before Nomads president Adrian Walsh had lined him up to turn out for the side the following day in Moree.

"I was sitting in the lounge at Sydney Airport waiting for my flight up and he asked me if I was keen to play the next day, we were playing away in Moree," he said.

"I am never going to turn down a game of football.

"I literally got off the plane, woke up the next morning and then I was heading out to Moree."

Then he became a mainstay in the team who went on to win the 2022 AFL North West title before helping out as an assistant coach in 2023.

Dobson said he felt welcomed from the get-go.

"I got a really warm welcome from the guys, it was pretty special," he said.

That inclusive nature of the club was one of the reasons he was eager to put his hand up to help out, as well as the "quality and depth" among the squad.

"One of the core themes of my coaching is care for one another; it is about knowing each other as more than footballers," Dobson said.

"Because so many of us are from other places around Australia, southern NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, we need to come together and form a cohesive group so that we can function as a team."

The Nomads have commenced training at Bellevue Oval on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6pm.

Dobson said new recruits are always welcome, regardless of experience.

"Regardless of their level of experience with footy, if they want to come in and train, there's opportunities there," he said.

"You will get a game every week and you will get plenty of opportunities, learn something new and make a lot of new friends."