EFL 2022: Upper Gully coach Luke Tynan to step down at season’s end

An Eastern league Division 1 club has begun its search for its next senior coach, with its existing mentor stepping away at season’s end.

Upper Ferntree Gully has begun its search for its next senior coach.

The Eastern league Division 1 club has confirmed current playing-coach Luke Tynan will stand down from his post at season’s end, citing work and family reasons.

Club president Mark Godfrey said the playing group was informed of Tynan’s decision on Thursday night, with the club keen to retain the former VFL defender’s playing services next season.

Luke Tynan will step away from the Kings’ post at season’s end. Picture: Field of View Photography

The Kings sit winless at the foot of the table from 14 starts.

Tynan landed the Kings’ coaching gig in September 2020 following a VFL career which took in 150 matches across Casey and Port Melbourne, where he tied for the Borough’s 2017 best and fairest in a premiership year and made the VFL Team of the Year on three occasions.

He initially joined Upper Gully as a playing-assistant at the end of 2019 before filling the senior role vacated by Stephen De Luca the following year.

“We’re in discussions with him about staying on (as a player), he likes the club,” Godfrey said.

“The boys are disappointed, but there’s no bad blood – I was really keen for (Luke) to stay on, and we’ve been speaking for several weeks and the players are keen for him to stay.”

Godfrey said the hunt for the club’s next senior mentor had commenced.

“We have to see who’s available and interested, who’s got ambitions (to coach) so we’re going through a list at the moment … we’ve got a few names that we’re working through,” he said.

Tynan is the club’s third senior coach since 2019, following Stephen De Luca (2019-2020) and Joel Perry (2018-19).

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