COLBINABBIN premiership player Nick Knight is returning to the Grasshoppers to coach the Heathcote District Football League club.
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Knight takes over the coaching reins from Phil Morgan.
The 30-year-old previously played two seasons at the Grasshoppers in 2008 and 2009.
He was part of the 2008 premiership team – Colbinabbin’s last flag – and also played in the 2009 losing grand final to Heathcote.
Knight has spent the past six years in the Goulburn Valley Football League at Rochester, a club where he has played more than 200 senior games and says he is ready for a return to the Grasshoppers and to tackle his first coaching role.
“I’ve always had coaching in mind and the timing with where I’m at with my footy fits well now,” Knight said on Wednesday.
“Once I finished at Rochester, Colbinabbin was the only club I was going to consider going to, so I’m looking forward to getting back there.
“I was really impressed with the way James Flaherty went about it as coach at Rochester this year… he came in and really brought on the younger players and I’ll be looking to do the same and play an exciting brand of footy.”
Knight takes over a Colbinabbin side that finished third this year after it was beaten by eventual premier North Bendigo in the preliminary final.
And he’s more than content to put his faith in the current crop of players.
“I’ll work with what’s there… try to get everyone to commit from last year and then just add one or two,” said Knight, who has also played in the Bendigo league with South Bendigo.
Colbinabbin president Tait Hamilton said the Grasshoppers were keen to appoint a playing coach to take over from Morgan, who in his three seasons at the helm built a 29-22 record.
“We wanted to go back to a playing coach and were keen to get in another midfielder and Knighter will fill both those roles really well,” Hamilton said.
“We’ve been talking to Knighter for a while about coaching once he was finished in the GVFL, so it was up to him when he wanted to come back.
“We think he’ll bring another element of professionalism to the club and some new ideas and we’re really excited by it.”
While he is no longer coaching, Hamilton said Morgan had indicated he was keen to remain involved with the Grasshoppers.
“Toot has been great for us in getting the locals back to the club,” Hamilton said.
“He’s a legend on the club and was a great fit over the past few years in helping us build for our centenary season this year. He told all the boys after the preliminary final he’d be stepping aside, but he has said he’d be happy to stay involved at the club.”
Meanwhile, star forward and 2015 Cheatley medallist Grant Weeks will have a delayed start to next season because of ankle surgery.
Hamilton said the Grasshoppers were hopeful Weeks, who kicked 129 goals this year, would be fit to play by round six.