Tatura Football Netball Club has landed former AFL premiership player Paul Barnard as coach for the next two seasons in a major coaching coup.
The Bulldogs’ search to replace outgoing coach Paul Kirby came to an end earlier this week when the Goulburn Valley League outfit locked in Barnard.
The Essendon premiership hero agreed to a two-year contract after he toured Tatura Park and met with club officials last week.
Barnard, who played more than 150 games at the highest level, joins the rebuilding Bulldogs for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
The 49-year-old will cross from Essendon District Football League Premier Division outfit Essendon Doutta Stars.
“I’m thrilled and honoured to be the next coach at Tatura,” Barnard said.
“I’m originally a country boy from Bunbury in WA ... it’s nice to come full circle and get back to country footy.
“After coaching in metro leagues I felt it was a good time for a change. I’m looking forward to testing myself in the GV. I met the club last week and they outlined the vision for the club on and off the field and I put my case forward and there was plenty of synergy between the two, which was great.
“I honestly can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get stuck in.”
Tatura president James Pyke said he was over the moon to have secured the services of Barnard.
“(The club) is absolutely stoked,” Pyke said.
“It all happened pretty quickly. Paul came up last week and met with the club and we were impressed straight away and he let us know he was on board on Monday. These opportunities don’t come around much and it’s all fallen into place really.”
Pyke said the club had successfully met its criteria for a new coach.
“When we began our search we were looking for a high profile coach, one that would help create a bit of excitement and bring in experience,” he said.
“Our juniors haven’t had a lot of success and we wanted to put some experience around them and hopefully we can build towards some success. We know it’s not going to happen overnight, but we’re really excited with how the future looks.”
The Bulldogs have won three games in 2022 and last played senior football finals in 2019.
This campaign the club has invested time and energy into its youth, with a number of emerging talents making their senior debut.
Barnard said he was looking forward to “meeting the playing group” and getting stuck into pre-season later this year.
Barnard gave some insight into how Tatura could look next season and outlined his plan to create a welcoming environment.
“I’ll bring a few ideas from my past experiences, but learning and development is the big one,” he said.
“We’ll be defensive mindset first and foremost and then the offensive side will follow. We’ll be brave with the ball and hopefully play great flowing footy.
“I want to build an inclusive environment and create a place that makes people who have stepped back from playing since COVID, want to come back and be involved at the footy club. It’s an open invitation to anyone, by all means come along and come down.”
Tatura has been on the hunt for a new mentor following Kirby’s decision to step aside due to personal reasons earlier this season.
Kirby, who has been at the helm since the end of 2019, felt the time was right to spend more time with his family after the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The club legend’s time at the Kennel comes to an end on Saturday with the Bulldogs taking on Mansfield in the final round of the season.
Pyke said the club was looking forward to “celebrating” Kirby — a two-time premiership player with the Bulldogs — on Saturday.