TAC Cup club Sandringham Dragons appoints Josh Bourke as coach

JOSH Bourke played for the Sandringham Dragons. Now he’s returning to the club as head coach.

Josh Bourke did not apply for the Sandringham Dragons coaching position when it was advertised a few weeks ago.

With his work and family demands, he “wasn’t really sure if it was an option’’.

But Dragons region manager Ryan O’Connor contacted him and encouraged him to send the club his resume.

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And on Thursday O’Connor phoned him again to say he would be replacing Jeremy Barnard, who has been appointed coach of East Perth in the WAFL.

O’Connor told Leader he received good reports about Bourke, had taken an interest in his progress and ultimately believed he was an excellent candidate.

Bourke is a primary school teacher and married with three children. He was a Dragons player in 2002-03, but when he came out of the TAC Cup he stopped playing football due to osteitis pubis.

Josh Bourke talks to Dandenong Stingrays players during a break in this year’s TAC Cup grand final.

This year he was an assistant coach at the premiership-winning Dandenong Stingrays.

He hooked on to the Stingrays program in 2013 after earlier coaching at his junior club, Cheltenham Panthers, the Beaumaris Under 19s and with the state Under 15 and Under 12 schoolboys.

Bourke also coached in the AFL Victoria Young Guns program this year under the supervision of legendary VFL coach Gerard FitzGerald.

Bourke told Leader: “Why didn’t I apply? I wasn’t really sure if it was an option, wasn’t sure where I was at, in terms of work, family, school. I had a lot going on and didn’t know if it was a realistic option. When Ryan got in touch and said they were interested in having a chat, that gave me the impetus to think I could be in the mix.

“The term I used in the interview, and it’s a bit clichéd, was game-changer. I said, ‘Where coaching is on my list of priorities will change, depending on this appointment’. If I didn’t get it, it would continue to be a passion and a hobby. If I did get it, I’d be taking it a lot more seriously. And I will be.’’

Stingrays players whoop it up after the grand final, having won the club its first premiership in the TAC Cup.

He added: “I’m thrilled. Very exciting. To be honest mate I’m still a little bit speechless. There are still people at the club who were involved when I was there. Peter Thomas, the physio, treated me for osteitis pubis. It feels like it’s meant to be.’’

Bourke said coaching in the Young Guns series was an invaluable experience, and FitzGerald and former AFL Victoria talent manager Leon Harris had given him the confidence to think he could move into a more prominent role.

O’Connor told Leader that Bourke was an impressive young man who would bring a lot of “exuberance and passion and a modern-bent’’ to the role.

He said he would also have the ability to “coach the coaches’’.

O’Connor said the position attracted an excellent group of candidates “and there will be some people who can consider themselves unlucky to miss out’’.

“I think Josh deserves an opportunity … he’s got a very good standing among players in that age group and helping them to make the transition to senior footy,’’ he said.

“We think he’s a young coach with a lot of upside.’’