Lauderdale veteran Josh McGuinness set to ‘probably entertain’ putting name forward for Bombers senior coaching role

A former Lauderdale captain has spoken for the first time amid talk he could be in line to replace outgoing senior coach Allen Christensen next season. Here’s what he said.

Lauderdale veteran Josh McGuinness has said he will ‘‘probably entertain’ putting his name forward to replace the outgoing Allen Christensen as senior coach next year. Photo: Anthony Corke

Lauderdale veteran Josh McGuinness hasn’t withdrawn himself from potentially replacing outgoing senior coach Allen Christensen with the star defender guiding the Bombers development league side into a grand final this Saturday in his first year at the helm.

One of the TSL’s most talented and well respected players has juggled two hats this season, amid his own injury concerns, but will both coach and play on football’s biggest day at UTAS Stadium this weekend.

With his development league side set to face North Hobart in the twos’ decider, McGuinness will also feature in his fourth senior grand final as a player with that clash also doubling as the last with Christensen at the helm.

McGuinness is a former Lauderdale captain and was drafted to Brisbane Lions following a stellar junior career. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

The former Geelong premiership forward announced earlier this month he was standing down at seasons’ end due to personal reasons with the Bombers currently on the hunt for his replacement.

But they may not have to look far with McGuinness not ruling himself out when speaking on Wednesday.

“Coaching is something that I’ve really aspired to do,” he said.

“An opportunity presents at our football club next year for a new senior coach so, of course, that’s something that I’ll probably entertain. Whether it’s the right time for me or not, I’m not sure. I’ve coached one year at development league level and we’ve had a pretty strong group.

“So whether I’m ready for that (senior coaching) yet or not, I guess that’s for me and the club to decide.

“Coaching is something that I want to sort of transition into and my body’s not getting a whole heap younger. We will have to wait and see what happens over the next few weeks. I’m sure there’s plenty of other really strong coaches that will throw their hat in the ring as well and we have to go through the right process as a football club.”

A staple of the Bombers line-up since his return from Brisbane, McGuinness is set to play a key role in Saturday’s clash against North Launceston.

One of just six Lauderdale veterans who played in last Saturday’s preliminary final win and the three losing grand finals between 2017 and 2019, McGuinness admits playing in another decider was something he wasn’t sure would ever happen.

McGuinness in action in the 2019 TSL Grand Final. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones.

“I didn’t think I’d get back there to be honest,” he said.

“We are super excited as a group. We came up against a really strong North Launceston side in the late 2010s that we got close to a couple of times. The first one was a bit of a lesion for us, but the next two you could make an argument that we were in the game up until the last quarter.

“This side is just as good, but probably a little bit different in terms of personnel and probably a little bit different to the way they play as well.

“I think it’s fitting that the last TSL grand final is played between these two teams because it’s probably been the bigger rivalry in the league over the last seven or eight years.”