NORTH Albury match-winner Damian Cupido has signed as assistant coach at Croydon.
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Cupido will return to his home Eastern Football League club after only one season with the Hoppers to play under former North Melbourne and Fitzroy player Brett Chandler.
The brilliant left-footer was also targeted by East Ringwood and several other interstate clubs after his record-breaking 10-goal haul against Wodonga Raiders in the first semi-final at the Albury Sportsground.
“Even though I was only here for a short time, it’s tough leaving North Albury because the club has certainly been very good to me,” Cupido, 28, said.
“I will miss the people for sure.
“But it’s another chapter in my life that I’m looking forward to and getting back to my home club will be good.
“Mum and Dad live in Melbourne and my partner is coming with me so it’s all fallen into place really well.”
Cupido, who was picked up by North Albury while playing cricket for South Australia in the Australian Country Championships on the Border earlier in the year, plans to travel back to Albury after Christmas to fulfil his commitments with Cricket Albury-Wodonga club New City.
He said employment was a major factor in his returning to Melbourne.
“Croydon is my home club and I was fortunate enough to get the green light as a sales executive so I couldn’t have asked for much more,” he said.
“I thought I had a reasonably solid year with North Albury considering I didn’t do a preseason and was a couple of kilograms overweight and I guess that game against Wodonga Raiders was a good way to go out.”
Cupido played 53 games and kicked 66 goals in stints with Brisbane and Essendon after being selected with the sixth pick of the 1999 national draft.
But after struggling with injury and poor form, Cupido was cut by the Bombers at the end of the 2005 season.
After his delisting, he moved to Adelaide to play in the SANFL, first with South Adelaide and then West Adelaide.
Cupido joins Kane Godde, Nathan Matsinos, Kade Klemke, Travis Hodgson and Matt Murray as confirmed departures from Bunton Park with Culcairn’s Bevan Charlton-White the only signing.
