New talent managers locked in for Stingrays, Dragons and Chargers

IN a shake-up of TAC Cup positions, Dandenong Stingrays, Sandringham Dragons and Oakleigh Chargers have new talent managers.

A few weeks after overseeing the Dandenong Stingrays’ first premiership, talent identification manager Mark Wheeler is crossing to another TAC Cup region.

In a shuffle of positions confirmed today, Wheeler is taking over at the Sandringham Dragons.

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Long-serving Dragons boss Ryan O’Connor is heading to the Western Jets, and Jy Bond is transferring from the Jets to the Oakleigh Chargers.

The Stingrays’ position will be advertised.

Wheeler started at the club as regional development manager and succeeded Darren Flanigan as region manager in 2011.

He had previously worked at the Dandenong District Junior Football League.

Wheeler said it was with mixed emotions that he left the Stingrays.

“Feels like you’re moving away from your baby,’’ he said.

“I’ve been there nearly 13 seasons in some sort of aspect and if you go back prior to that I was involved with development in the Dandy junior league, so that’s quite a few years inside the zone.

“It is a bit bittersweet but I’m looking forward to the challenge.

“I’ll have a look at the zone and make the relationships and from there probably make a few little tweaks but Ryan has operated a very good program over the years and it’s a really strong area. There aren’t a lot of things that need changing.’’

Ryan O'Connor is heading to Western Jets.

Wheeler — who lives in the bayside region — said the Stingrays were well set up for the next two to three years, with a lot of talent emerging.

At the Dragons he will link with Stingrays premiership assistant coach Josh Bourke, who has been appointed coach of Sandringham.

Former AFL big man O’Connor has been in charge of the Dragons’ program since 2009, taking in the 2011 and ’16 premierships.

AFL Victoria said O’Connor’s move to the Western Jets would place him in a “very different environment’’, where he would “tackle challenges such as connecting with multicultural communities, developing talent from other sports, facility development, stakeholder relationship building as well as the key area of development of talent’’.

Jy Bond was AFL Tasmania’s state talent manager.

Bond has been with the Jets since April and was previously AFL Tasmania’s state talent manager.

His transfer to the Oakleigh Chargers is something of a homecoming given that he played for the club.

He is the son of former Richmond and St Kilda player Graeme Bond and also spent time at Punt Rd. Bond later relocated to the US to try his luck as a punter, spending time with the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins.

Bond is replacing Oakleigh Chargers talent manager Craig Notman, who has been appointed by AFL Tasmania to oversee Tasmania’s reintroduction to the TAC Cup next year and the VFL in 2021.

AFL Victoria said the changes “represent opportunities to both revitalise staff as well as regions’’.