Cattery return has Egan excited
THE opportunity to get back in to the AFL industry and work with a team he has a strong connection with proved the inspiration for Geelong’s new head of development, Matthew Egan, to walk back in the doors of his former club.
Egan started work at the Cats this week and will soon have his hands full as first to fourth-year players, then the full list, return in the coming weeks.
But after multiple five-year stints at Essendon and then Melbourne, the 2007 All-Australian defender says the chance to be work closely with former teammates both on and off the field was too good an opportunity to pass up.
“I had five years at Essendon and five years at Melbourne and then a year at Xavier College, and towards the end of my time there, I realised how much I missed being in the AFL industry,” Egan said.
“I spoke with a few clubs and Geelong was one of those. I spoke to (football manager) Simon Lloyd and (chief executive) Steve Hocking and then (coach) Chris Scott and the broader staff and chose Geelong because it is a great fit and I believe in the list and the staff here.
“There is obviously a connection to some former teammates who have come back as well, so I just feel it is a great place to be. I have a passion for the club, having played here, and I want to see them do really well and have success again.
“As a coach, you work where there is good opportunities and where you see yourself working for a long time … it is a really busy job but you get so much joy out of working with young players and all players generally, so I probably
wasn’t expecting to come back here at this stage but I am absolutely delighted to be joining (the club) again.”
Egan worked as a coach at the Cats after suffering what proved to be a career-ending foot injury in 2007, before taking up a role at the Bombers under the James Hird/Mark Thompson team.
He said leaving helped him develop his own skill set, and added the new position would encompass a broad range of responsibilities.
“Obviously I have coached here before in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and had an awesome experience and loved my time with Chris Scott in 2011, but I probably just needed to leave and progress my coaching and learn new skills somewhere else, which was the only reason I left,” he said.
“But I had a great time and I am really excited to be back. It is head of development, which I have done at Essendon and Melbourne, so it is working with development of all players on the list, the academy (first to third-year players) and the development coaches.
“It will be a mix of Shane O’Bree, Eddie Betts, Nigel Lappin and myself, and then working in the player development area with Mark Worthington and Shannon Byrnes, who will be new as well, and Dave Williams in sports psychology, as well as a bit of list management. So it is a nice broad role, which is exciting for me.”