NFL 2019: North Heidelberg expecting to announce a swift replacement for Jimmy House
North Heidelberg president Warren Haysom is adamant its season will not be derailed by the shock resignation of coach Jimmy House and expects to announce a replacement swiftly.
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North Heidelberg president Warren Haysom is adamant its season will not be derailed by the shock resignation of coach Jimmy House and expects to announce a replacement swiftly.
House informed the Bulldogs’ players and coaching panel on Monday night that he would be stepping down after one season in the role.
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Haysom said the club respected House’s decision to step down.
He said there were indications early in the new year House could resign.
“He had a few things on and we told him to take his time and enjoy the break,” Haysom said.
“The initial plan was he would come back after the long weekend in January and resume from there.
“Jimmy puts 100 per cent into everything and leaves no stone unturned as far as his preparation, knowledge of opposition and that sort of thing.
“First and foremost is it’s a lesson for everyone that family is No.1 and you’ve got to look after that side of things.”
The club released a statement saying House would be “standing down as senior coach effective immediately due to personal reasons”.
He took the 2017 Division 2 premiers to the Division 1 preliminary final last year and was named the AFL Victoria Coach of the Year (northern region).
It was the first time a second-flight premier has reached top-tier finals in the competition’s history.
North Heidelberg is considered one of the Northern Football League Division 1 flag fancies this year after an active recruiting period, including the signing of Western Bulldogs premiership defender Shane Biggs.
The Bulldogs’ Round 1 fixture against Macleod is less than three months away, but Haysom said the club’s preparations for the Northern Football League campaign won’t be affected.
He said plans were in place to appoint a new coach.
“We’ve got some pretty good sources and those discussions are well underway,” he said.
“This has been behind the scenes for about a week or so now. We only made it official on Monday evening so plans in relation to that are well under way.”
Brent Harvey and Kain O’Brien will take pre-season training until an appointment is made.
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