Craig McRae has placed big wraps on new development mentor Neville Jetta, believing the former Demon has the temperament to be a senior coach one day.
Jetta was appointed as a Collingwood development coach in October last year after retiring from the AFL earlier in 2021, bringing an end to a 159-game career spanning 13 seasons.
The Pies were quick to swoop on Jetta, and McRae revealed he knew the former defender was the right man for the club as soon as he interviewed the 32-year-old.
“(GM of footy) Graham Wright and I, we interviewed him via Zoom because he was in Perth with Melbourne going through their finals campaign,” McRae told SEN’s The Run Home.
“I left the Zoom feeling like, ‘Wow, what a character, what a man, we’ve got to get this guy to our football club to influence our young players'.
“That was only 30 minutes, he came into our environment after the stuff with Melbourne and he just continues to impress.
“Not often have I seen a coach come in and want to be front and centre and be prepared to talk in big meetings and match meetings.
“They’re (often) very much reserved my experiences have been that.
“He’s prepared to share, but not over the top. But his ability to connect and build relationships has been amazing to watch.”
Jetta was recently honoured with the 2022 Phil Walsh Memorial Scholarship, which provides the recipient with a $10,000 grant and aids their professional development through a three-level coaching course.
There are currently less than a handful of indigenous coaches in the AFL, with only Xavier Clarke (Richmond VFL), Travis Varcoe (Western Bulldogs development) and Eddie Betts (Geelong development) featuring alongside Jetta across the league.
There have also only been two indigenous senior coaches in the league’s history, but McRae is tipping Jetta could someday become the third.
“I don’t want to put too much on him, but I think he’s capable of being a real serious coach… I think he’s capable of being a senior coach,” McRae continued.
“Being indigenous, there hasn’t been an indigenous coach to aspire to, we’ve had many players throughout the competition (that inspire)… but to have someone to aspire to be like, Xavier Clarke is at Richmond and an outstanding young man and a great coach.
“To be able to aspire to be an AFL coach, I think it’s a great thing.
“Neville’s ability to lead and command the room, he has an aura about him.”
Collingwood has one of the younger lists in the AFL, featuring 20 players in the first-third years of their careers when Jetta took over late last year.
Listen to the full interview with Craig McRae below