The 2023 Goulburn Valley League season is the final hoorah for Mansfield coach Chad Owens following his difficult decision to step down at season’s end.
Owens, who has been at the helm since the start of the 2021 season, will coach the remainder of the campaign before passing on the baton to star player and ex-AFL talent Jack Hutchins.
Owens gave the club the early heads up in March that this would be his final year coaching in the High Country, with the experienced mentor citing family reasons for his decision to call time.
The former VFL assistant coach said it was in the best interests of his family to step down from a job he “loves doing”.
“I love coaching and I’d do it forever if I could, but I love my family more,” Owens said this week.
“Mansfield is a great club and I wanted to do the right thing by them by letting them know where I was at, so I gave them the heads up a few weeks ago. I can’t talk highly enough (of the club) they’ve been so understanding and I appreciate everything they’ve done for me.”
Owens led the Eagles to a heartbreaking preliminary final defeat last year and has his outfit 3-1 after the opening month of action.
But the growing commitments attached with coaching a senior GVL club have taken a toll on the down-to-earth father of two.
“It takes a massive mental toll on you,” he said.
“My two boys are nine and six and I think it’s probably time I switch my 100 per cent focus on them.
“I actually think Echuca have got the best model; you have a non-playing coach and a playing coach to help take the load off each other. There’s so many hours that go in nowadays you watch your film, your opposition film, you’ve got recovery, training, you’re constantly on the phone, you watch all three grades of footy and invest in the netball sides as well ... I don’t think a lot of people understand that.
“It’s been a sort of relief to be honest (since making the decision) and I’m going to really enjoy this year. There’s no taking the foot off the pedal and the ultimate goal is to win a flag which would be no better way to finish off.”
Helping Owens out for the remainder of the season will be his successor Hutchins.
The 31-year-old ex-AFL and former VFL captain at Casey will step up into a more hands-on leadership role as he begins the first steps of his coaching journey.
Hutchins confessed he was “taken aback” when the club approached him to take on the top job, but with a “natural progression towards coaching” it was only inevitable before he picked up the magnet board.
Besides, the opportunity to coach his childhood club was too hard to refuse.
“I’m really excited for the challenge. It is a bit daunting to be honest, I didn’t necessarily think I’d be coaching yet, even though I’ve seen coaching as a sort of natural progression for myself,” he said.
“It’s been fantastic since I’ve come home to Mansfield. My parents are still in town and my sister is at the club playing netball which makes it special too.
“I love Mansfield; it’s got that great country community club feeling and when I finished up in the VFL I knew this is where I wanted to come back and play the rest of my footy. I’m just really excited to be presented with this opportunity.”
Hutchins, who is only a handful of years out of the elite system, said he wouldn’t go overturning the whole game plan introduced by Owens — even if they are polar opposites.
“At this point I’ll be a playing coach, as long as my body holds up,” he said with a laugh.
“I’m pretty cool headed and a bit different to Chad, which I reckon he’s probably already told you.
“I guess not being long out of the system I’ve got some ideas I can bring to the table, but Chad has done a tremendous amount of work and has really changed things around and I’ll just be continuing the work he’s started.
“It will be a new thing for me (coaching), but I guess I’m lucky in a sense that I’ll learn over the next few months and it will hold me in good stead going forward.”
Owens finished off by assuring the Eagles faithful that the seniors are in the right hands going forward.
“I think Jack is going to be fantastic. He’s a really positive fella, a real Ted Lasso-type of guy, we’re nothing alike,” he said jokingly.
“Hutchy does a fair bit of work already as it is; he’s a younger guy, he’s got all of his experience as VFL captain behind him, he’ll be great and I’m rapt for him.”