Sport
Rumbalara locks in former AFL talent Chris Egan as new senior mentor, Congupna confirms two-pronged coaching unit
Rumbalara has enlisted one of its favourite sons to lead its Murray Football League rebuild with Chris Egan set to take the reins as senior coach in 2023.
Beginning his football journey with Rumbalara, Egan was a prodigious talent in his underage days and was picked up by Collingwood with the 10th selection in the 2005 national draft.
Making the move to Melbourne Egan would play 27 games for the Magpies in four seasons before being delisted after the 2008 campaign.
He has since been a regular feature in the region, pulling on the boots for Goulburn Valley League clubs Shepparton Swans and Echuca, before returning to Rumbalara to finish his playing career.
Since hanging up the boots in 2021, Egan has been heavily involved with Rumba’s coaching unit, serving as an assistant under Jason Traianidis this past season.
With Traianidis stepping aside after the 2022 season, Egan was identified as the perfect man to take over the role, with this set to be his first foray into senior coaching.
“I am super keen to step into this role, I’ve been playing back at Rumba for the past few years now and through that time have gotten into assistant coaching and have since learned a lot about the game from a coaching standpoint,” Egan said.
“The club has provided great opportunities for me to grow and now that Jason’s moved on and the club is going in a new direction it has given me the perfect chance to take on that senior coaching position.”
Egan takes over a Rumbalara squad fresh off a 2022 campaign that yielded no victories and the wooden spoon.
Understanding the gravity of the task ahead, Egan said he was excited to embark upon a list rebuild and lead the club back up the ladder.
“It is certainly going to be a slow build, we are all well aware of that,” he said.
“We’ve got to take a different direction now and set the example early of what’s expected in preparation and training to ensure we get the best outcome on game day.
“The number one priority is getting Rumbalara back up to the top, I don’t think the club has ever had a year like it did last year, so I am very keen to bring about improvement straight away.”
Rumbalara isn’t the only MFL club making news on the coaching front, with Congupna set to sport a new-look two-pronged unit of existing senior mentor Kevin O’Donoghue and elevated assistant Ben Bingham.
After leading The Road to the finals last season O’Donoghue will continue pulling the strings on the sidelines, while Bingham will provide crucial on-field leadership.
The beginning of an exciting chapter in Bingham’s coaching journey, he said he could not wait to continue working closely with O’Donoghue in 2023.
“I am really keen to step up and work with Kevin as co-coaches,” Bingham said.
“We bounced off each other well last year and I got a bit of experience taking over in a couple of games last season, so I got a bit of a taste for it then.
“Coaching is something I’ve always really enjoyed, so to take this next step in my development at such a great club like Congupna, I couldn’t be more excited.”
This announcement caps a busy off-season for Congupna, with the club attracting seasoned GVL stars like BJ Squire and Matt Di Bella to help complement its exciting young list.
Set to enter the new campaign with high expectations, Bingham said the club was in a great place to continue on its upward trajectory.
“We have got a really young and energetic group that is always ready to work hard,” he said.
“Something we pinpointed in the off-season was stepping up our depth all across the ground and I feel we have done that with our recruiting.
“We hope those experienced players coming in can help us moving forward and we can build on the success we had in 2022.”