When John Lamont arrived at Mooroopna at the end of 2019, the Cats were at one of their lowest points.
Eight wins in four seasons had left the club searching for a leader who could take this proud club back into the spotlight of Goulburn Valley League.
Up stepped the ever-charismatic and sharp-witted Lamont.
Lamont had an impressive football resumé, having coached Coates Talent League clubs Oakleigh Chargers (1998-2002) and Eastern Ranges (2003-06).
He had also been a development coach at North Melbourne for seven years and coached Werribee in the VFL for five.
Once the Cats had courted Lamont to the club, the veteran coach got to work on rebuilding Mooroopna by developing its young players on and off the field.
Lamont said this passion for the development of young men was a massive reason the Cats coach is signing on for two more years at the helm.
“I love the game, but I love the vehicle that the game is for the development of young men to realise their potential,” Lamont said.
“There is a really good core group of blokes at Mooroopna, so I have seen and enjoyed their growth and development and I am keen to see it continue.
“We are debuting blokes at 16, 17, 18 (years of age) and in another couple of years just seeing them develop; I get a lot of reward out of that.”
Since joining the club as head coach, Lamont has brought Mooroopna’s senior football side back to life.
Ignoring the two seasons lost to the pandemic (2020, 2021), Lamont’s Cats finished fifth on the ladder in 2022 and 2023, making it to the semi-final in 2022.
This season, with four rounds remaining, Mooroopna is in fourth spot on the ladder, two wins clear of fifth-placed Kyabram.
After an impressive win away from home against Shepparton Swans on Saturday, the Cats are humming towards finals for a third straight season.
Lamont credits — in part — the stability of his coaching group for the continued success at the club in recent years.
“My coaching group since I have got here has been really stable,” he said.
“Hopefully, those boys are right to keep going (for the next two seasons) as well.
“Stability is a great thing; it is a real positive with consistent messaging.”
Another reason Lamont was keen to sign on for a further two years at the Cattery was the fact that the club will celebrate its 150th anniversary in two years’ time.
It promises to be a special moment for Mooroopna, and Lamont is keen to play a role in it.
“In two years, they will have probably had enough of me, but I am really keen to help the club build towards that 150th season and chase the future,” he said.
“I have been coaching for a long, long time, and I am still enjoying it.
“It might be beyond, but I thought let’s just commit for two now.
“I thought the two-year deal allows us to plan for that (150th year) and lets people know that the coach is on board.”