After engaging two foreign coaches at the helm of the first team, Frenchman (now naturalized Maltese) Aurelien Cousin and Italian Maurizio Mirarchi, the Club Committee decided to turn a new leaf by handing the arduous job of Head Coach to none other but Dorian Pisani whose name is synonymous with the local waterpolo sphere.

Dorian is a product of the Neptunes nursery and played his first competitive matches at junior level with the Reds before climbing the rungs up to their first team and win six league titles in a nine-year span between 1984 and 1993. After forming part of a star-studded Marsascala side which made a clean sweep of the honours in 1997, Dorian moved north to join Sirens to win his last league title in 2001 before returning to Neptunes in 2002 in his final year of his playing career at First Division level. Dorian had calls with the National waterpolo team including participation in international tournaments overseas. As a kid he considered Dirk Dowling as his model player.

His first stints in coaching started whilst he was still an active player, but Dorian’s cunning instinct in the water was carried to the pool deck when he steered various age-group teams to successes during his coaching career at Neptunes except for another four winning seasons wedged at Sirens. An impressive string of six straight successes between 2010 and 2015 under his belt, undoubtedly carry his timbre. His subsequent experience at the top level local waterpolo was one of the factors that tilted in his favour the decision by Exiles Club Committee to rope Dorian whose emblematic coach is Sergei Markoc. In 2014, Dorian Pisani was at the helm of the Neptunes’ first team that lifted the Winter League.

Dorian chose this fascinating sport which he considers as an aggressive discipline that caught his attraction as a youngster as he loved swimming with the ball. To him, his saying ‘yes’ to  Exiles, meant a tough challenge he is prepared to take up and he is sure that there are other local coaches eyeing this young Club. Whilst acknowledging that the task will be uphill, he was quoted as stating that he ‘is eager to see Exiles compete for higher aspirations’.

On a personal note, Dorian Pisani’s favourite dish is fish. He is the father of two children Kimberley and Thomas.  He is an Aries whose characteristics are Demanding, Determined, Ambitious, Effective and Active. Those in the locall waterpolo circle who know Dorian well can vouch that most of these, if not all, may be attributed to his character

Whilst welcoming Dorian Pisani to the Club, we would like to wish him a fruitful stay at the Club and look forward to a promising season.

KaFa

(photo by Adrian Farrugia)

Comments