LARA has put its faith in Shayne Stone and Devon Smith to continue the development of the club’s young list by re-signing the coaching duo for 2024.
The Cats confirmed this (Thursday) afternoon the pair will guide the club next year while also not ruling out Smith taking the field.
A Lara junior, Smith, played 182 AFL games during an 11-season career across stints at GWS Giants and Essendon.
He was due to pull on the Hoops for the first time since 2011 this year before rupturing an Achilles in a practice match in early March.
“The club believes his wealth of knowledge and experience at the highest level and influence on the playing group has already yielded positive results,” Lara said in a social media statement.
“Dev continues to complete an injury recovery program and looks forward to participating once again in on-field action as next season commences.”
Stone, who played in the Cats’ 1994 and 2002 GFNL flags, has been coach or co-coach since 2019 after returning from a role with VFL club Werribee.
“His commitment and dedication to his role and respect among his peers in the league has reinforced his value to our senior squad and made him a genuine asset to the club,” the statement also said.
“Together, Dev and Shayne will direct our senior group at a significant time in Lara’s ongoing development.
“Re-signing them boosts our efforts to build sustainable competitiveness and success.”
Lara, which hasn’t played finals for a decade, sits 10th on the ladder with a 2-11 record.
The Cats will be searching for their third win of the season when they host Bell Park at Bisninella Oval on Saturday.
