GEORGE WAKIM WINS COACH OF THE YEAR 2014

The back-to-back winning Northern Blues coach, George Wakim has been named as the VAFA Senior Coach of the Year for 2014. 
Wakim beat off a strong list of challenges including other back-to-back premiership coaches Guy Martyn (Hampton Rovers) and 2013 coach of the year Ian Aitken (Kew). 
Under Wakim, Northern Blues’ two years as a senior club have won two premierships and the club has a 6-0 finals record in the VAFA. 
Wakim’s efforst with Blues are highlighted for the manner in which he has steered a young group of players into senior football. Leading Blues to the 2013 Division 4 premiership from sixth spot and this year, taking them all the way from top spot when they were the hunted.  
Blues finished the home and away season a game clear on top with a 14-4 record. 
A comfortable first finals win over Albert Park saw them move into a preliminary final meeting with the other heavyweight of the section, Emmaus St Leos. Emmaus had surprisingly lost their first final and therefore found themselves in the ‘wrong half’ of the draw as the lucky loser from week one of the finals. 
In one of the great matches at this level, Northern Blues held on in a see-sawing battle to record a memorable one point win over the Animals to progress from the the preliminary final and earn back-to-back promotions. 
However, Blues were not done with there and they controlled most of the Grand Final against Richmond Central at Garvey Oval, to win back-to-back premierships by 24 points. 
Wakim was effusive in his praise for his playing group and delighted at where the club had come from. 
From everyone at the VAFA – congratulations to George Wakim on being named the 2014 Senior Coach of the Year.