VFL 2018: Frankston appoints Danny Ryan as new senior coach

DANNY Ryan has been an assistant at a number of clubs. Now He has landed his first head coaching role in Victorian football, at Frankston Dolphins.

HE’S been an assistant at a number of clubs. Now Danny Ryan has landed his first head coaching role in Victorian football.

Ryan was this morning announced as the new coach of VFL club Frankston, replacing Adam Skrobalak, who has moved into a full-time position at St Kilda.

Ryan was part of Skrobalak’s panel this year, overseeing the midfield, and has accepted a two-year deal in an appointment that gives continuity to the Frankston program.

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He has much experience in coaching, starting with Pennant Hills Demons in Sydney AFL and then the NSW-ACT Under 18 Rams.

Ryan — who grew up on a dairy farm outside of Colac — returned to Victoria to work full-time as a development coach with St Kilda from 2009-12.

He was opposition coach for AFL club Port Adelaide in 2013-14, an assistant coach at Sandringham Dragons in 2015-16 and senior assistant coach at Casey Demons in 2017.

It’s believed VAFA club De La Salle was also keen on him to coach next year.

“A passionate coach with enormous work ethic, Danny has been seeking an opportunity to coach his own team in the VFL and is fully supportive of our aim to develop local talent and involve ourselves in community football,’’ the Dolphins said in a statement.

“With our next coach in place, we now look forward to the next few months as we start the process of putting together our list for 2019 and to continue our journey to building a strong and competitive team and club to compete in the VFL competition.’’

The club said the appointment was “the culmination of a robust recruitment process that yielded a high-quality field of candidates’’.

“His signing is another clear goal in establishing ourselves as the ‘hub of Peninsula football’ as we provide every footballer and football lovers on the Peninsula with a VFL team that they can call their own.’’

Ryan told Leader he was thrilled to be appointed and thankful for the opportunity to coach his own team in the VFL after a string of support roles.

It will be a part-time role for the father of three; he will continue work as a consultant for a global leadership development company.

“Danny will bring a tremendous football coaching and development background to the club and the team as we continue to build this club into the future,’’ Dollies GM Gary Buckenara said.

“There is plenty of hard work ahead of everyone involved at the club as we piece together the rest of the team on and off-field. Obviously, Danny’s appointment as our senior coach is really the important appointment for us and now we can start to place the rest of the pieces in place to complete our requirements.’’

The Dolphins are likely to make contact with their former player Stu Kemperman, who has steered Berwick to the past two premierships but parted ways with the club.