Even without a game under his belt, the new coach of the Echuca Moama United Masters is feeling the heat from president Justin Voss.
“We went undefeated last season,” Walker said.
“Those are pretty big shoes to fill.”
Like all other football clubs in the region, the EMUs didn't play last season.
But when your motto is “footy for fun”, a few jokes are unavoidable.
Having coached Tongala's under-18s in the Goulburn Valley League during the mid 1990s and a brief stint coaching under-10s at Echuca United, it's been a while since Walker took the whiteboard as coach.
But when his club needed someone to step into the role, he was more than happy to put his hand up.
“It came out of filling a need,” Walker said.
“But it was an easy decision for me because I love being a part of this club. The environment around the Masters competition is something I really enjoy.
“It's hard to get footy out of your blood, but you get to a stage where you step away from taking it super serious.
“Coming to the Masters gave me the opportunity to still play the game I love, but also to just enjoy it.
“When you have a group of players who love football and enjoy being out there, it makes the job so much better.”
Voss said it was exciting to get the players back out on the field after the imposed year off.
“Everyone is champing out the bit,” Voss said.
“We have a practice match coming up soon, our fixture will be out in the next week or so and then we can really dive into it.
“It's been a long wait, so we are all pretty excited to be back playing again.”
Walker said the first weeks of training have been about getting used to being back.
“We're not looking at set plays or massive drills or those kind of things,” Walker said.
“It's been about skills, getting a bit of touch on the ball again and doing a little bit of fitness.
“We train for about an hour and then sit down and have a beer as a group.
“That's the great thing about this club, we're just here to enjoy ourselves and each other's company around the game we love.”
● The EMUs train on Wednesdays from 6pm at Echuca South Recreation Reserve.
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