Jumping in head first
10:49 AM Thu 29 November, 2007 | Back
By Jason Phelan
for melbournefc.com.au
10:49 AM Thu 29 November, 2007 | Back
By Jason Phelan
for melbournefc.com.au
News
IT’S BEEN a tumultuous few months for new Melbourne assistant coach Josh Mahoney, but he’s delighted to be taking the first steps on what he hopes is a long coaching journey.
Injury forced the cagey goal kicker to watch Port Adelaide’s record Grand Final defeat from the grand stand, but he didn’t have too long to reflect on the loss; the Monday after he was off to Canberra for a coaching course and the draft camp, having accepted an invitation to join Dean Bailey’s team.
“It was probably a game that we wanted to forget pretty quickly and, for me, I was forced to forget it pretty quickly and moved on to the next phase,” Mahoney says with a smile.
“I haven’t had a lot of time to stop and think about things, but I think that’s the best way to do it; just go in head first.
“I’m just really excited about getting into the coaching side of things and, in particular, with the Melbourne footy club. It was a disappointing season last year, but everyone’s looking forward to a better one next year.”
Mahoney expressed an interest in coaching when he drew the curtain on his 97-game career before Port Adelaide’s doomed 2007 finals campaign and he was soon approached by “a few” clubs interested in securing his services.
“I think they recognised that my career wasn’t exactly perfect and that I had to work pretty hard to get where I did,” he says of a career that ultimately saw him win premiership honours with Port Adelaide after spending time with Collingwood, the Bulldogs and in the VFL.
“To think that they thought I could help their players in some way is a real honour.
“But I had a relationship with Dean over the last four years at Port
Adelaide and before that at [Bendigo] for a couple of years, so I know him really well and I enjoy his style of coaching. I knew that he was going to be successful wherever he went and I was happy to come along for the ride.”
The Power was keen to retain him in a coaching capacity once his body told him his playing days were over and Mahoney says he owes a debt of gratitude to Mark Williams for his advice during that period.
“He was terrific,” Mahoney says, adding he was keen to get stuck right into a coaching role rather than take a year off.
“He was an integral part of me going to Port Adelaide in the first place, and once I was there he was the one coach over my career who I’ve been able to communicate really well with.
“He was very honest and up-front with me the whole way through and that’s pretty much what you want from a coach. Even when I was tossing up where to go, he was very honest with his thoughts on things.”
Mahoney was restricted to just eight games in 2007 which, while frustrating, allowed him to get a feel for coaching by spending time helping with the development of the Power’s youth.
He will oversee the forward line in Bailey’s new regime and is excited by the prospect of success.
“It’s a very talented group of forwards that I’ve got to work with,” he says.
“The great thing about it is they’re a very experienced group and it’s great for me as a first-year coach to bounce ideas off the more experienced guys like David Neitz, Russell Robertson and Adem Yze.
“They’re guys that have played a lot of footy and I want them to be involved as much as they can. I think it’s important for players to have a say in where the club’s going and how they want to structure up their forward line as well.”
IT’S BEEN a tumultuous few months for new Melbourne assistant coach Josh Mahoney, but he’s delighted to be taking the first steps on what he hopes is a long coaching journey.
Injury forced the cagey goal kicker to watch Port Adelaide’s record Grand Final defeat from the grand stand, but he didn’t have too long to reflect on the loss; the Monday after he was off to Canberra for a coaching course and the draft camp, having accepted an invitation to join Dean Bailey’s team.
“It was probably a game that we wanted to forget pretty quickly and, for me, I was forced to forget it pretty quickly and moved on to the next phase,” Mahoney says with a smile.
“I haven’t had a lot of time to stop and think about things, but I think that’s the best way to do it; just go in head first.
“I’m just really excited about getting into the coaching side of things and, in particular, with the Melbourne footy club. It was a disappointing season last year, but everyone’s looking forward to a better one next year.”
Mahoney expressed an interest in coaching when he drew the curtain on his 97-game career before Port Adelaide’s doomed 2007 finals campaign and he was soon approached by “a few” clubs interested in securing his services.
“I think they recognised that my career wasn’t exactly perfect and that I had to work pretty hard to get where I did,” he says of a career that ultimately saw him win premiership honours with Port Adelaide after spending time with Collingwood, the Bulldogs and in the VFL.
“To think that they thought I could help their players in some way is a real honour.
“But I had a relationship with Dean over the last four years at Port
Adelaide and before that at [Bendigo] for a couple of years, so I know him really well and I enjoy his style of coaching. I knew that he was going to be successful wherever he went and I was happy to come along for the ride.”
The Power was keen to retain him in a coaching capacity once his body told him his playing days were over and Mahoney says he owes a debt of gratitude to Mark Williams for his advice during that period.
“He was terrific,” Mahoney says, adding he was keen to get stuck right into a coaching role rather than take a year off.
“He was an integral part of me going to Port Adelaide in the first place, and once I was there he was the one coach over my career who I’ve been able to communicate really well with.
“He was very honest and up-front with me the whole way through and that’s pretty much what you want from a coach. Even when I was tossing up where to go, he was very honest with his thoughts on things.”
Mahoney was restricted to just eight games in 2007 which, while frustrating, allowed him to get a feel for coaching by spending time helping with the development of the Power’s youth.
He will oversee the forward line in Bailey’s new regime and is excited by the prospect of success.
“It’s a very talented group of forwards that I’ve got to work with,” he says.
“The great thing about it is they’re a very experienced group and it’s great for me as a first-year coach to bounce ideas off the more experienced guys like David Neitz, Russell Robertson and Adem Yze.
“They’re guys that have played a lot of footy and I want them to be involved as much as they can. I think it’s important for players to have a say in where the club’s going and how they want to structure up their forward line as well.”
