Throughandthrough
31-10-2019, 09:40 PM
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/sport/former-crows-captain-tony-mcguinness-announced-as-morphettville-parks-new-coach-after-more-than-a-decade-away-from-footy/news-story/ee3e654de12b1c0dc9c4594d36c90b80
Former Crows captain Tony McGuinness announced as Morphettville Park’s new coach after more than a decade away from footy
After more than a decade away from footy, former Crows skipper Tony McGuinness has accepted the senior coaching job at Morphettville Park and is keen to give back to his junior club.
Daniela Abbracciavento, The Messenger
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THE ADVERTISER
Former Crows captain Tony McGuinness has returned to football after a decade away from the public eye, as senior coach of an SA amateur club.
McGuinness was announced as Morphettville Park’s new coach last week and will lead the Roos into the Adelaide Footy League’s division four in 2020.
The mentoring job is the 55-year-old’s first in footy since resigning as an assistant with Port Adelaide’s AFL side in 2006, citing business and family commitments.
It is McGuinness first real public role since 2010 when he was embroiled in a private matter allegedly involving a former Hells Angels bikie.
The 222-game AFL player and Magarey Medallist also resigned from a charity he co-founded with ex-teammate Chris McDermott, then known as the McGuinness McDermott Foundation, amid the controversy that reportedly centred on an extramarital affair.
The fallout prompted McGuinness to retract his public profile but is not dwelling on the past, saying he wants to give back to the football club he represented as a junior.
McGuinness — who works from home as a stock market investor — declined to comment on past allegations surrounding his personal life and was just keen to lead Morphettville Park next season.
“It’s in the past and I’m just looking forward and looking forward to this (coaching) appointment,” McGuinness told The Advertiser.
“I am looking ahead, that’s it.”
McGuinness said Morphettville Park A grade assistant Steve Nolis coaxed him into a return to coaching and he agreed to sign a one-year deal.
“The phone just started ringing, Steve Nolis — who is a family friend of my wife Georgina and I — is an old past player and coach,” said McGuinness, who also played 103 games for Glenelg, including its 1985 SANFL grand final victory.
“He was sort of angling that he wanted to get back into it and (he) said ‘if I do it, you’ll have to do it, too’.
“Then a couple of players called and guys I used to play with when I was younger, and I just sort of thought ‘it’s probably a good thing to do’.
“(Being) a past player coming back, I’ve got good connections and good relationships with a lot of people here.”
McGuinness’ love for football has never waned and he has kept a keen eye on the Crows, Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs over the years.
He was at the MCG when the Bulldogs won the 2016 AFL grand final and watched Glenelg’s historic SANFL drought-breaking flag win from Adelaide Oval last month.
“It (the Tigers’ win) was really exciting.
“My son Oscar is a mad Glenelg supporter.
“We went to all the finals together and to three or four games throughout the course of the year, so it was really good.
“Bulldogs’ premiership a couple of years ago was amazing.
“I went over the day before and caught up with a whole heap of guys I hadn’t seen for years.
“That was really exciting.
“It had been such a long time since they had won and there was a lot of heartache on the way.”
McGuinness’ son, 19-year-old Oscar, has not followed in his father’s footballing footsteps and is instead part of the South Australian Sports Institute’s rowing program.
But that has not stopped McGuinness, who played 113 games for Adelaide and 109 for the Western Bulldogs, from remaining connected with those in AFL circles.
He was set to use that to his advantage as he aimed to lift Morphettville Park back to division three following its relegation at the end of this past season.
McGuinness would also draw on experience from the three seasons he spent as Glenelg’s senior coach (1998-2000) and hoped to lure some ex-SANFL or AFL players to the Roos.
“One of the first people I’ll be hitting up is (fitness guru) Darren Burgess — ex-Liverpool and Arsenal — and he’s at (AFL club) Melbourne now,” said McGuinness.
“We’ll be looking at his training program and all I can say is ‘watch out, boys’.
“I guess we will try and adopt (AFL) types of drills, game style and skill execution to try and bring it to these players.
“The fact you can only get them two or three times a week adds some restriction but you can still have the same sort of ambition.
“We will start high and see how it goes.
“We should be connecting to Glenelg, without a doubt, so I’ll be on the phone.
“If there are any retiring Glenelg players, I hope their journey brings them straight to Morphettville Park.”
Meanwhile, work is well underway on a $3.7 million revamp of the Morphettville Park Sports Club at Kellett Reserve and is set to be complete by March, in time for the season start.
“The fact the club has gone to (division) four and has got some ambition to climb back up and the new changerooms and clubrooms as well — with all those things come together it sounds like it’s a really good, exciting time to come back,” McGuinness said.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Former Crows captain Tony McGuinness announced as Morphettville Park’s new coach after more than a decade away from footy
After more than a decade away from footy, former Crows skipper Tony McGuinness has accepted the senior coaching job at Morphettville Park and is keen to give back to his junior club.
Daniela Abbracciavento, The Messenger
\
|
THE ADVERTISER
Former Crows captain Tony McGuinness has returned to football after a decade away from the public eye, as senior coach of an SA amateur club.
McGuinness was announced as Morphettville Park’s new coach last week and will lead the Roos into the Adelaide Footy League’s division four in 2020.
The mentoring job is the 55-year-old’s first in footy since resigning as an assistant with Port Adelaide’s AFL side in 2006, citing business and family commitments.
It is McGuinness first real public role since 2010 when he was embroiled in a private matter allegedly involving a former Hells Angels bikie.
The 222-game AFL player and Magarey Medallist also resigned from a charity he co-founded with ex-teammate Chris McDermott, then known as the McGuinness McDermott Foundation, amid the controversy that reportedly centred on an extramarital affair.
The fallout prompted McGuinness to retract his public profile but is not dwelling on the past, saying he wants to give back to the football club he represented as a junior.
McGuinness — who works from home as a stock market investor — declined to comment on past allegations surrounding his personal life and was just keen to lead Morphettville Park next season.
“It’s in the past and I’m just looking forward and looking forward to this (coaching) appointment,” McGuinness told The Advertiser.
“I am looking ahead, that’s it.”
McGuinness said Morphettville Park A grade assistant Steve Nolis coaxed him into a return to coaching and he agreed to sign a one-year deal.
“The phone just started ringing, Steve Nolis — who is a family friend of my wife Georgina and I — is an old past player and coach,” said McGuinness, who also played 103 games for Glenelg, including its 1985 SANFL grand final victory.
“He was sort of angling that he wanted to get back into it and (he) said ‘if I do it, you’ll have to do it, too’.
“Then a couple of players called and guys I used to play with when I was younger, and I just sort of thought ‘it’s probably a good thing to do’.
“(Being) a past player coming back, I’ve got good connections and good relationships with a lot of people here.”
McGuinness’ love for football has never waned and he has kept a keen eye on the Crows, Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs over the years.
He was at the MCG when the Bulldogs won the 2016 AFL grand final and watched Glenelg’s historic SANFL drought-breaking flag win from Adelaide Oval last month.
“It (the Tigers’ win) was really exciting.
“My son Oscar is a mad Glenelg supporter.
“We went to all the finals together and to three or four games throughout the course of the year, so it was really good.
“Bulldogs’ premiership a couple of years ago was amazing.
“I went over the day before and caught up with a whole heap of guys I hadn’t seen for years.
“That was really exciting.
“It had been such a long time since they had won and there was a lot of heartache on the way.”
McGuinness’ son, 19-year-old Oscar, has not followed in his father’s footballing footsteps and is instead part of the South Australian Sports Institute’s rowing program.
But that has not stopped McGuinness, who played 113 games for Adelaide and 109 for the Western Bulldogs, from remaining connected with those in AFL circles.
He was set to use that to his advantage as he aimed to lift Morphettville Park back to division three following its relegation at the end of this past season.
McGuinness would also draw on experience from the three seasons he spent as Glenelg’s senior coach (1998-2000) and hoped to lure some ex-SANFL or AFL players to the Roos.
“One of the first people I’ll be hitting up is (fitness guru) Darren Burgess — ex-Liverpool and Arsenal — and he’s at (AFL club) Melbourne now,” said McGuinness.
“We’ll be looking at his training program and all I can say is ‘watch out, boys’.
“I guess we will try and adopt (AFL) types of drills, game style and skill execution to try and bring it to these players.
“The fact you can only get them two or three times a week adds some restriction but you can still have the same sort of ambition.
“We will start high and see how it goes.
“We should be connecting to Glenelg, without a doubt, so I’ll be on the phone.
“If there are any retiring Glenelg players, I hope their journey brings them straight to Morphettville Park.”
Meanwhile, work is well underway on a $3.7 million revamp of the Morphettville Park Sports Club at Kellett Reserve and is set to be complete by March, in time for the season start.
“The fact the club has gone to (division) four and has got some ambition to climb back up and the new changerooms and clubrooms as well — with all those things come together it sounds like it’s a really good, exciting time to come back,” McGuinness said.
“I’m looking forward to it.”