The Collingwood Football Club has bolstered its football program by adding three new development coaches for the 2012 season.
Former Western Bulldog Mitch Hahn has been appointed Forwards Development Coach, Dale Tapping will take on the role of Midfield Development Coach, and former Collingwood great Anthony Rocca has been promoted from his part-time development role and will now be Defensive Development Coach.
All three development coaches will be full time and report to Head of Development Craig McRae.
The development coaching structure is designed so that there will be line coaches for the club’s VFL team, in much the same way the senior side has designated line coaches.
Rocca’s 242-game, 15-season AFL career included 220 games and 404 goals with the Magpies. The 34-year-old, who retired from playing in 2009, won four Gordon Coventry Trophies as Collingwood’s leading goalkicker.
Hahn, 30, played 181 matches and kicked 164 goals for the Bulldogs from 2000-2010. In 2011, while on the Bulldogs’ rookie list, Hahn worked as the forwards coach for the club’s VFL affiliate, Williamstown.
Tapping coached the Sandringham Dragons to the TAC Cup premiership in 2011 after leading the elite under 18 side for three seasons. Prior to that he was an assistant coach with the Western Jets under 18 team, and also coached Old Brighton and Old Scotch in the VAFA.
Collingwood’s coaching structure has undergone significant change since the conclusion of the 2011 season.
In addition to the new development coaches coming on board, former Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade has been appointed Football and Coaching Strategist, while former Adelaide premiership player Ben Hart will take on the role of defensive coach in support of new senior coach Nathan Buckley.
The club is yet to finalise its full coaching structure.
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