Ogier named as new coach

Following the departure last month of 2008 premiership coach Phil Bunn, who took-up a full-time recruiting role with AFL club Port Adelaide, Ogier was last night announced as his successor.

Ogier was one of three Bushies assistant coaches to apply for the role, with the former Carlton, North Melbourne and Sydney player beating home Mark Knobel and Leon Higgins for the head role.

Murray region manager Andrew Carson said Ogier was an outstanding choice.

“Darren’s been with us for four years now and he’s also been involved with Victoria Country and the Northern Bullants set-up, so he brings a lot of strength to the role,” he said.

“He’s got a teaching background, so he’s great at developing kids and we’re really happy to have him as our coach.

“In saying that, the two other applicants were also outstanding.”

With the Bushrangers filling the position from within, Carson said the club would have to search for a new assistant coach.

“I’ve spoken to Darren about that and we’ll probably have to go down that path,” he said.

“We’re still working on our structure, and it’s a bit more difficult this late in the preseason because a lot of footy clubs are already committed to their coaching set-ups, and we don’t want to unsettle anyone.”

Ogier will also assume the role of development manager, which comes with the coaching position.

The Bushies crashed down to earth last year after the success of 2008, missing the finals, but Carson believes the club’s fortunes can just as easily swing back upwards.

“The unique thing about our competition is there are always lots of changes to the squads year-by-year,” he said.

“So there’s no issue about trying to redeem ourselves — we’ve got a lot of new players and we just need to focus on getting them playing strong competitive TAC Cup football.”

An extended Bushrangers squad will soon be trimmed, with the club’s first practice match to be played at Corowa on Sunday.