Jeremy O’Brien of Cobram will be taking on the role of senior men’s football coach at Barooga, with a three-year contract announced on Tuesday, October 22.
Hawks president Darrell Bowden said O’Brien was a proven performer.
“We’re excited to have a senior coach of Jeremy’s calibre,” he said.
“He’s got heaps of experience and if he has any ideas to grow our group, we’ll be listening.
“Jeremy has proven success with Tungamah and Yarrawonga — as a people person and exceptional coach.
“He expects his team members to be good people and, as a club, that’s exactly what we’re striving for.”
O’Brien said coming off two wins from last season there was work for himself and the club.
“Overall, we’ll be trying to retain the players from this season as well as top up with a couple of recruits and push the club up the ladder,” he said.
“We’ve got a number of players coming out of the under-17s.
“I’ve caught up with some players already and, obviously, we’ve got a bit of work ahead of us. But there are a lot of people who are supportive and trying to push the club in the right direction.
“There’s an exciting group of young players coming through. That’s exciting in terms of developing them as footballers.
“We’ll be looking to make some little changes and hopefully that will translate into a few more wins for the club.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
O’Brien has tallied a vibrant footy career across coaching and playing positions.
On top of more than 200 games across the Ovens and Murray Football Netball League, O’Brien played an instrumental role in the Yarrawonga side that took home two flags in the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
A seasoned football player and coach and assistant principal at Cobram Primary School, O’Brien had a stint for St Mary’s while living in Darwin for two years up to 2004 when the side brought home the premiership.
After returning from the Northern Territory, O’Brien has been a cornerstone of the coaching staff that guided Yarrawonga to a grand final appearance this year.
Nick Macheda will also take over from Stephen Marshall as coach of the reserves side next year.
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