SWFL men’s: New Eaton coach Scott Tynan admits coaching call-up came as ‘shock’ but ready for challenge

Eaton interim coach Scott Tynan has admitted his call-up from coaching the club’s reserves side into the league outfit came as “a bit of a shock”, but he says he is ready for the challenge of driving the Boomers forward. Chris Kinninmont resigned from his position coaching the Boomers last Tuesday, citing work commitments, with Tynan — a former player with the club — endorsed as his replacement the following morning. Tynan said heading up a league side had always been a personal goal. “It’s not the phone call I was expecting to get on a Tuesday night,” he said. “I’ve worked alongside Chris (as reserves coach) for the last 18 months, I had no idea anything was going to happen but I knew he had been very busy with work. “I wasn’t sure if it was the right time or not. I had a good chat with Chris on the phone the following morning and I decided to take on the role. “It’s a big step, but something I’m keen to take on.” Kinninmont’s resignation came in the wake of the Boomers suffering the biggest defeat of the season to date in round six, a 169-point thrashing at the hands of Bunbury. Tynan said he had been pleased with the response of his playing group to the heavy loss. “They showed a bit of fight on the weekend. With Chris stepping down, I think they probably would’ve showed some sort of a response,” he said. “The players have been very supportive of me.” Badged as the interim coach for the remainder of this season, Tynan said he was yet to consider whether he would apply for the role on a full-time basis. “I’m not looking that far ahead, to be honest, at the moment,” he said. “If we can start moving in the right direction, it’s something I’ll definitely be thinking about, but we’ll just get through this year first.” Tynan said his main priority for his time in charge would be to ensure his players were enjoying the journey. “The hard thing at the moment is retaining players ... if we can retain our young playing group and keep everyone together and then recruit, then we’re starting to go in the right direction,” he said. The Boomers are sitting ninth on the ladder with a 1-6 win-loss record, ahead of Harvey Bulls and Collie on percentage.