Shannon Henwood goes back to where it all began
After helping Hampton Park to the 2019 premiership and being appointed senior coach for 2020, Shannon Henwood is heading back to the club so synonymous with his family — Doveton.
AFL Outer-East
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Shannon Henwood is going back to where it all started, and where his family is something like royalty.
He’s going back to Doveton Football Netball Club.
Three days after Hampton Park confirmed Henwood was standing down as senior coach, Doveton announced he was returning to Robinson Reserve, where he was “born and bred’’.
After junior football at Narre North Foxes and Hallam, he started playing in the senior side in 2006.
And when he was appointed playing coach of the Doves at the age of 23 in 2013, he joined his father, Don, and his uncles Steve, Graham (“Gug’’) and Pat “(Bub’’) on the honour board as senior coaches of the club, a remarkable family rein.
Steve had premiership success four times over, including with the crack premiers and champions side of 2005.
Don (who played league football for Footscray in 1978) coached the Doves to a grand final. Gug steered them to a flag. And Patrick took them to a decider.
Just to extend the brothers’ coaching connection, Anthony was once appointed at Hampton Park but for various reasons didn’t go ahead with it. He was an assistant at Devon Meadows.
Shannon Henwood got Doveton into finals but stepped down up after 2015, the job having taken a lot out of him.
He played on for a couple of years and intended to take a break in 2018.
Instead he popped up at Hampton Park for half a season.
Last year he had a big hand in the Redbacks’ Division 3 premiership in Southern, their first flag for 20 years, winning the best and fairest as co-captain.
Ahead of 2020 Henwood was appointed senior coach, taking over from Justin Hill.
But with COVID-19 stopping football he didn’t move a magnet, and at the age of 30 he’s decided to return to the Doves and focus on his football as the club resumes in the top division in AFL Outer East.
“It was extremely hard to leave Doveton – I never thought I would, because I’d been there literally my whole life,’’ Henwood said.
“My older brother (Aaron) started playing Under 18s in the late 1990s and even dad ran around in the twos in the mid-1990s, so I’d been going there every weekend ever since I could remember.
“It was strange to leave but I’m glad I did in the end, because I got to experience Hampton Park.
“I really loved it there and wanted to go up to Division 2 and see what we could do. I was confident we could go all right. We had a good side. But I’m not getting any younger unfortunately and I wanted to go back to Doveton while I’m still playing good footy, because going back into that league is going to be a step-up. I want to make sure I can contribute. I didn’t want to go back and sort of just be hanging on.’’
Henwood intended to coach Hampton Park in 2020 and reassess at the end of the season.
But the demands of family (he became a father for the second time in June) and work (he runs his own building company, Henwood Constructions) meant it was always going to be difficult for him to coach on in 2021.
“If circumstances were a little bit different I would have liked one more year, but it’s a big job, coaching, and I just don’t have the time,’’ he said. “I reckon I can always coach down the track. I’ll just worry about playing for a few more years.’’
Henwood has no official title at Doveton but will be happy to pop a few suggestions to coach Danny Charles.
“I’ll give him a chop-out in whatever way he wants,’’ he said.
Henwood won three best and fairests with the Doves, and his father and uncles Steve, Graeme and Patrick are in the hall of a fame, Steve taking his place as an official legend.
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