EDFL club Greenvale secures former North Melbourne premiership player Shannon Grant as coach for 2015

GREENVALE has pulled off a coaching coup, securing former North Melbourne premiership player Shannon Grant to lead it into season 2015.

Western Bulldogs training at Whitten Oval. Shannon Grant.

GREENVALE has pulled off a coaching coup, securing former North Melbourne premiership player Shannon Grant to lead it into season 2015.

In an eventful period for the Jets, the club was dealt a blow early last week as Adam McPhee announced he was stepping down from the top job to focus on his young family after the premature birth of third child Bodhi.

But swift action was taken to find a replacement and Grant put pen to paper with the Essendon District Football League Premier Division powerhouse last Thursday.

“It’s been a big week for Greenvale,” Jets president Bruce Kent said.

“Although Adam was contracted for next year he said the commitment was too great for him to continue at this time.

“While disappointed to lose Adam, we’re delighted to secure Shannon.”

Grant played 301 AFL games with North Melbourne and Sydney and won the Norm Smith Medal as the Kangaroos took home the 1999 premiership.

After retiring at the end of the 2008 AFL season, he coached VFL side Frankston in 2009 before joining Essendon as an assistant and coach of the club’s then VFL affiliate Bendigo Bombers in 2010.

The 37-year-old has spent the past three years as an assistant coach under Brendan McCartney at the Western Bulldogs.

“We’re obviously delighted to secure a coach of that level and experience,” Kent said.

While Grant is currently on a prearranged holiday, the Jets are expecting to get him to get stuck into the new role when he returns later this week.

While Kent said the club would retain most of its playing list from this season and had plenty of talented juniors coming up from the under-18s, he added Grant would be using his connections to try and sign a few more players in coming weeks.