Fun and footy is the secret mix for the Fitzroy Thirds, but make no mistake, their coach, Trent Coleman, says the teams goal for 2017 is to play finals.

Trent, who found himself the accidentalcoach as part of a crew of three in 2016, has put his hand up for the solo job this year.

Accident is the correct word. Too many on-field injuries (accidents) mean my body is shot and I can't play anymore. But I wanted to give back to the Club that has given me some great years of footy and good mates,Trent said.

Last year I enjoyed still being able to be part of the Club, even though I couldn't play.

I would say the Thirds philosophy would be to play good football each week and make sure we have fun at the same time. A good mix of the serious and the social,Trent said.

For the 2017 season, the Thirds major goal is to play finals. We have missed out in doing so in recent years and we are looking to correct that this year./p>

Aside from last years shared coaching stint, which also saw him collect the coachs award at the Redlow, Trent has plenty of on-field leadership experience as captain, and vice-captain at Fitzroy several times and similar roles at other clubs.

He also admits to being an organisation freak, which will no doubt help in the coaching caper.

I have spent a lot of my spare time coming up with drills and game day material. I'm a big believer in having everyone on the same page so we can achieve our goals for the year. Since my hours as a full time coach is basically zero, I have no doubt that there will be plenty of room for improvement./p>

Having played with NFL team Hurstbridge from under 10s to 19s, Trent first started playing with Fitzroy in 2009.

I moved into the city, and it was too far to travel to my old club. As I had lived most of my life in the northern suburbs, Fitzroy looked like a good club to join. I'm very happy with the decision that I made./p>

Were pretty happy too. The final word goes to the accidental coach: ROYS THIRDS 2017!/p>