Nathan Thompson adds Kyneton senior coaching role to under-18 duties
Kyneton favourite son Nathan Thompson will take on dual coaching responsibilities in 2020 after agreeing to add the senior coaching role to his under-18 duties.
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Nathan Thompson will be a busy man in 2020 as he coaches Kyneton’s senior and under-18 teams.
The former AFL goalkicker took over the under-18 coaching reins this season having previously overseen the club’s junior ranks.
However, with Luke Beattie stepping down, Thompson agreed to add the club’s top job to his expanding coaching resume.
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After a player exodus last year, the Tigers decided to focus on development and finished eighth this Bendigo Football League season with five wins.
Thompson said the club was committed to growing its base rather than splashing the cash.
“The sole focus of Kyneton next year is all around junior development,” he said.
“We’ve got a number of kids that are in that 16-18 age group who will get opportunities next year and give us a lot better depth.
“We’re always talking to local people that might have left the club but the main focus is 100 per cent around development.
“I’ve been working hard on that already (retaining players), all the local guys have basically signed on to go around again and support me next year, which is fantastic.
“Moving forward I’ll certainly be getting some support from assistant coaches to lessen the workload but still definitely a big job doing both.”
Beattie and Thompson came out of retirement to support the club on field this season with Beattie playing 17 of 18 games and Thompson six.
Originally recruited from Kyneton when Hawthorn picked him with the 82nd pick in the 1997 draft, Thompson was keen to guide the next generation of Tigers.
“That was the key to me getting involved in the 18s this year,” he said.
“I can see there’s a lot of great kids coming through our juniors and I was very keen to try and help them make the transition from under-16s to 18s and seniors.
“I was Kyneton before I got drafted and then I spent 20 years down in Melbourne but my heart was always regional.”
Kyneton will hold its senior best-and-fairest night on Thursday, September 26.
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