AFL great Doug Hawkins takes on coaching role at BFL club Darley

AFL great Doug Hawkins will return to coaching this season after being appointed to lead the under-19s at Ballarat Football League club Darley.

AFL great Doug Hawkins returns to the coaches’ box after being appointed Darley under-19s coach for 2021.

A 350-game star with Footscray and Fitzroy, Hawkins hasn’t coached since stepping down at Bacchus Marsh in 2013.

The Devils have tried several times to lure Hawkins without success but the Ballarat Football League club’s perseverance has finally paid off.

“The club’s really excited, we tried before but he was too busy,” Darley football manager Craig Baker said.

“He’s been around the club because his son Ricky started playing with us in 2017, so he goes to most games.

“We spoke to him this year and he was able to do it, which is great.”

Hawkins has had previous success coaching underage teams when he led Bacchus Marsh’s under-16s to a premiership in 2011.

The Bulldogs legend said the victory was his greatest moment in football following the death of player Nathan Prince during a game that season.

Baker said it was a coup to attract a coach of Hawkins’ calibre and was looking forward to seeing the next generation of senior player develop under his tutelage.

“The under-19s are sometimes the hardest age group to find someone to coach and have the right help,” he said.

“When the kids are in the under-10s all the parents want to help but as the years go on most of them drop off.

Doug Hawkins during his time as coach of Bacchus Marsh.

“(Doug’s) always liked coaching the kids and keeping them all on the straight and narrow and getting through to them.

“Our under-19s have never been a strong side but we’ve always been able to get good kids that have played senior football.

“If you look at our senior side, I’d say there’d be at least 15 of them that came through the juniors at Darley and seven or eight played in the two grand finals in 2015 and 2017.”

Devils’ senior coach Dan Roy will no doubt hope to call on his expertise as well.

“I’d say Dan would have a chat with him and if he sees something or pulls one of the young blokes aside and has a chat I’m sure that would be helpful,” Baker said.

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The Ballarat Football League season is set to kick off on April 17 with Darley hosting Sunbury under lights at Darley Park.

Darley’s senior team is set to rely on youth this season after finishing third in 2019 but crashing out in an elimination final.

“We’ve recruited a couple of player but we’ll be mainly playing the young blokes we’d had come through the last four or five years,” Baker said.

“Hopefully we’ll be around the mark again but I think it will be a very strong year this year, the strong sides will be very good again.”