New Tigers coach keen to raise the stakes in 2025 GFL season

New Boulder coach Kye Bradley said he looked forward to seeing first-hand what an impressive band of early recruits could bring to the squad, ahead of the Tigers’ opening session of the Goldfields Football League pre-season on January 15.

Bradley, who hails from Geraldton, was announced as coach on Thursday night after spending the 2024 season working with Mines Rovers’ reserves squad.

Given the strong rivalry between the Digger Daws Oval co-tenants, Bradley said it was a tough decision to switch camps.

“They (Mines Rovers) were fantastic to work with and are a great club, so it was a very difficult decision,” Bradley said on Friday.

“I actually said to my wife that it was probably a harder decision than actually moving out here (to the Goldfields).

“So I took a couple of days to think about it, look over everything and decide if it was the right move, and I think it was.

“I’m ready to go.”

For recruiting, Boulder have been the busiest of the senior clubs by adding Koopah Todd from West Perth, Victorians Dustin Walters, Zak Barrett and Guy Laughlin, and Tate Nicholas, who last season played in Port Hedland.

” I’ve had a chat with a few of them and they’re all ripe and ready to go,” Bradley said.

“That (recruiting) is the key thing (because) ideally with a new coach coming in, you want fresh players, too — just to maintain that new approach and to keep things moving forward and in the right direction.”

With Boulder finishing third last year and losing the first semifinal, Bradley said there was plenty to work on.

“From what (Boulder) games I did see this year, I picked up on a few things that will be addressed in the pre-season,” he said.

“We’ll be working on getting those right and if we do, it will play massively into our game plan.”

On his approach to coaching, Bradley said, “Previous experience has always been firm and fair.

“I find that if you come in a bit gentle or a bit soft, you get walked over.

“But if you set the tough standards and something for the players to work on, you usually get success.”