Former Kyabram captain-coach Mark Adamson is set to take on the top job at Stanhope in 2023 after a three-year break from the coaching circuit.
Prior to his time away from the game, Adamson spent 15 years travelling from Bendigo to Balranald and Kyneton to Kyabram and has enjoyed success at a number of clubs during his football journey.
Most recently Adamson played a handful of games and wore the assistant coaching hat at the Lions.
“I had a nice break, but looking back, I was probably burned out after 15 years straight,” Adamson told the Kyabram Free Press.
“I came on board as an assistant coach at Stanhope to ‘Grints’ (Dennis Grinton) and ‘Patto’ (Mark Patten), which suited me back then.
“It is a pretty natural progression, the opportunity to take up a lesser role a couple of years ago was good.”
Adamson played two senior games for the Lions this year, relishing the chance to play alongside his son Jye and stepson Rhys Smith.
The Lions would narrowly miss out on a Kyabram District League grand final berth after an agonising 9.6 (60) to 7.12 (54) preliminary final defeat to eventual champion Lancaster.
Prior to his stint at Stanhope, Adamson’s football journey has taken him far and wide.
He’s well known to Kyabram followers, having coached the Bombers from 2004-06, before returning in 2010 to help them into a grand final which they lost to Shepparton United.
Adamson has tasted premiership success at Southport Sharks and Golden Square, before coaching Kyneton out of recess and similarly helping Balranald rebuild some time later.
The new coach said having had time to play under and learn from outgoing Lions coaches Grinton and Patten in recent seasons — he was champing at the bit to get started.
“It was great to work with those two blokes. I got to play a bit of football across a couple of years and I feel like I have built a rapport with the players,” he said.
“Now I am ready to get back into it from a coaching perspective. I am highly motivated at the moment.”