- Joined
- Jun 13, 2003
- Posts
- 3,916
- Reaction score
- 43
- Location
- Auckland, New Zealand
- AFL Club
- Essendon
- Other Teams
- Storm, Arse, Victory
Sheedy takes punt on Dimattina as runner
By Rohan Connolly
February 1, 2006
Paul Dimattina wasn't planning on having any involvement in AFL football when he returned to Melbourne late last year after having run his family's restaurant in Queensland for the past two years.
After a chance meeting with Kevin Sheedy in a tote queue at Flemington on Derby Day, the former Western Bulldog has landed a job as a runner and skills coach with Essendon. Dimattina will share running duties with John Barnes, but will also spend three days a week on the track working with the Bombers' senior list.
Dimattina has been appointed a mentor to a group of young Bombers including highly rated draftee Courtenay Dempsey, father-son recruit Jay Neagle, and the talented but injury-afflicted Joel Reynolds, and will assume chief responsibility for a couple more of the Dons' more junior talent yet.
Dimattina has already spent considerable time with Reynolds, whom injuries have restricted to just 27 senior games over four seasons, concentrating on running and skill work.
"I was out the front of the tote on Derby Day when Sheeds and I bumped into each other," Dimattina said yesterday. "He knew I'd moved back to Melbourne, he asked me what I was doing, I said: 'nothing', we got talking, and it really evolved from there.
advertisement
advertisement
"It's good to have a foot back in the door. I have no coaching aspirations as such, but I enjoy what I'm doing. It's a bit of player development; when training's over, if any guys need any specific one-on-one work they come and seek me out, for extra kicking or ground balls or whatever, I'm just an extra resource down there to help out."
Dimattina, who played 131 games for the Western Bulldogs from 1995 until the end of 2003, says he has been pleasantly surprised by the list with which he is working.
"The depth of their list has surprised me," he says. "They've got some bloody good young kids coming through, I and just reckon with the addition of Chris Heffernan, who's flying at the moment, and Scott Camporeale, I think they'll be a very good side."
Essendon is still to appoint a final assistant coach to complement Gary O'Donnell and Dean Wallis.
By Rohan Connolly
February 1, 2006
Paul Dimattina wasn't planning on having any involvement in AFL football when he returned to Melbourne late last year after having run his family's restaurant in Queensland for the past two years.
After a chance meeting with Kevin Sheedy in a tote queue at Flemington on Derby Day, the former Western Bulldog has landed a job as a runner and skills coach with Essendon. Dimattina will share running duties with John Barnes, but will also spend three days a week on the track working with the Bombers' senior list.
Dimattina has been appointed a mentor to a group of young Bombers including highly rated draftee Courtenay Dempsey, father-son recruit Jay Neagle, and the talented but injury-afflicted Joel Reynolds, and will assume chief responsibility for a couple more of the Dons' more junior talent yet.
Dimattina has already spent considerable time with Reynolds, whom injuries have restricted to just 27 senior games over four seasons, concentrating on running and skill work.
"I was out the front of the tote on Derby Day when Sheeds and I bumped into each other," Dimattina said yesterday. "He knew I'd moved back to Melbourne, he asked me what I was doing, I said: 'nothing', we got talking, and it really evolved from there.
advertisement
advertisement
"It's good to have a foot back in the door. I have no coaching aspirations as such, but I enjoy what I'm doing. It's a bit of player development; when training's over, if any guys need any specific one-on-one work they come and seek me out, for extra kicking or ground balls or whatever, I'm just an extra resource down there to help out."
Dimattina, who played 131 games for the Western Bulldogs from 1995 until the end of 2003, says he has been pleasantly surprised by the list with which he is working.
"The depth of their list has surprised me," he says. "They've got some bloody good young kids coming through, I and just reckon with the addition of Chris Heffernan, who's flying at the moment, and Scott Camporeale, I think they'll be a very good side."
Essendon is still to appoint a final assistant coach to complement Gary O'Donnell and Dean Wallis.
