EDFL: Essendon Doutta Stars coach Kyle Hardingham steps down
A second Essendon District Football League Premier Division club is searching for a new mentor for the 2021 campaign with an ex-AFL player making the tough call to return to his home state.
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Kyle Hardingham says Essendon Doutta Stars’ next coach will have a “dream job”.
The former AFL high-flyer has stepped down because of family reasons and is set to return to Western Australia at the end of this year.
After the Stars narrowly avoided relegation from EDFL Premier Division in 2018, Hardingham steered them to a seventh-placed finish with five wins in his first and only season at the helm.
He had high hopes for this year before the coronavirus crisis forced the season to be canned.
The 31-year-old said it was “extremely tough” to call an end to his tenure.
“Especially with where I feel Douttas are heading with the guys we recruited, the list we’ve finally got together, the buy in from the playing group, I really felt it was going to be a big year this year and a chance to really up the ante,” Hardingham said.
“We were looking to push for that top four, if not push further into finals.
“It’s sad and that’s what’s made the decision even harder to leave a program you’ve set up and it’s only halfway through.
“There’s plenty of positives to take out of it but also a lot of disappointment that I couldn’t see out all the hard work.”
The Stars enjoyed a fruitful off-season, with James Peters (Aberfeldie), Eamonn Ogden (Pascoe Vale), Dylan Landt (Sunbury Lions), Ned Gentile (Airport West), Liam McKenna (Templestowe), Dale Marshall (Bundoora) and Matthew D’Angelo (Northern Saints) among the ins.
They were also looking forward to seeing more of key trio Alex Boyse, Mitch Jensen and Karl Brown.
Hardingham said the senior squad had plenty of potential.
“The guys, they’re all sponges and they just want to see success,” he said.
“The majority of the group are local juniors from the footy club and they’re sick of seeing Douttas at the bottom of the ladder or fighting for relegation.
“They want success and they want to become that powerhouse they used to be.”
Hardingham said he had made “40-odd” phone calls in recent days to inform the club’s players of his decision.
He is hoping to catch up with them one last time before he departs if COVID-19 restrictions ease.
With two young children, he said the lack of family support had proved challenging during the pandemic.
“We’ve got two kids now, one that’s two and a half and one that’s nine weeks old, and there’s no family in Victoria at all, so all our family are in WA,” he said.
“Being in lockdown, it’s really highlighting how much support we need from our family in the time when we can’t have it.
“With our first child, it was easy because we had family over every second week to come visit and say hello and friends were coming over. Now it’s just us.
“With everything that’s happened and the season being cancelled, it’s probably a good chance to get home and start fresh.”
Hardingham said he had “aspirations to keep coaching” when he returns to his home state.
“Just seeing a group grow the way they did (at the Stars) makes we want to do it even more,” he said.
“I’ll be looking to see what becomes available.
“I hope I’ll be able to land at a club that’s exactly like Douttas, in the same sort of position, with a group of boys that just want to get better and have success.”
The Stars are the second Premier Division club searching for a new coach after Paul Chapman departed Greenvale.
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