EFL: Knox signs ex-Hawthorn defender Brendan Whitecross as coach
An ex-Hawthorn defender from the club’s golden era has landed at EFL Division 2 outfit Knox as its new senior coach.
Local Footy
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Eastern Division 2 club Knox has landed a coaching coup, signing ex-Hawthorn defender Brendan Whitecross as its new senior mentor.
Whitecross has signed a two-year deal, which will see him through to the end of 2022.
The appointment comes after the Falcons recently parted ways with first-year coach Wayne Van Der Ross, after the club cited it had a duty to “explore its options” for 2021.
Van Der Ross was invited to re-apply for his position for next season but declined.
Whitecross played 111 matches for Hawthorn across an 11-year career in the top-flight from 2008-18, making his debut in 2009. He was struck down with injury during the Hawks’ golden era which yielded three flags, twice rupturing his ACL.
The 30-year-old featured in VFL affiliate Box Hill’s premiership side in 2018 and last year played for North Melbourne’s VFL outfit, serving as a development coach.
Knox president Scott Woodward said the club had anticipated the availability of talent from higher levels of football due to reduced ‘soft cap’ spending, as a by-product of the coronavirus crisis.
“We talked about there was lots of potential about what was coming through,” Woodward said.
“John O’Brien, our football manager, started those explorations and started reaching out to a couple of people that he knew, and got put onto this one (Whitecross).
“We thought we’d give him a ring and see what happens … everything aligned, and it was a really good match.”
Knox suffered relegation on the back of a tight second tier competition in 2019, with its six wins falling short to remain in Division 1.
It will contest Division 2 in 2021 – the league’s third tier – and Woodward said Whitecross would complement the club’s young list.
“With Brendan’s appointment, I think we’ll find he brings a wealth of knowledge – he has a great care for his players and that came across when I had a chat with him, which to me is very important,” he said.
“We’ve got a young list and he sees that as being really appealing – he also has a welfare side to him that I found was really important as well, because football is not just about playing.
“We’re certainly extremely excited and we’re looking forward to 2021.”