The Berrigan Shire Council Mayor joins forces with good friend and retired AFL superstar Shane Crawford, who is volunteering his time as head coach.
Ardmona had been suspended from competing in the Kyabram District Football League at a league meeting in September last year, but subsequently launched an appeal that was spearheaded by securing Crawford as coach the following month.
The Bush Cats’ appeal to be allowed to stay in KDFL was granted, with Ardmona rejoining the league in December.
Hannan was a promising utility player for the Finley Cats before he was left a paraplegic after falling from a tree in 1996.
He always stayed involved with footy following the incident however, serving as Finley reserves coach for three years, from 1999 to 2001.
He also spent seven years on the Finley seniors selection committee under coaches Damian Sexton and Rob Daniel.
Hannan has taken a step back from footy in recent years due to his duties as mayor, but decided now was the right time to get back into things.
‘‘Shane and I go a long way back, being friends at school and having played a lot of sport together in our younger years,’’ he said.
‘‘He rang me up to see if I could give him a hand. Coaching alongside a mate has always been something that I’ve wanted to do, so I thought it’s a good opportunity to do that as well as help a struggling club.
‘‘Footy clubs are the lifeblood of a community and Shane’s interest to help Ardmona out was a convincing point for me to get involved.’’
Crawford and Hannan were both on hand for Ardmona’s player registration day on Sunday, January 19.
The day was a big success with about 30 prospective players on the track.
‘‘It was a fantastic day and it was well attended,’’ Hannan said.
‘‘We signed up a few footy and netball players on the day.
‘‘It was also a good opportunity for me as I got meet a few of the people at Ardmona for the first time.’’
Ardmona has been a club that has struggled for a long time, with their last win coming in the final round of the 2015 KDFL season.
The Bush Cats came close to breaking the drought in 2019, leading Longwood by two points at three quarter time in their round 10 clash.
However it was not to be, with Ardmona allowing their opponent to kick six goals to two in the final term, suffering a 25 point loss.
Hannan said while a goal of his was to give the club the taste of victory, he wants to help get the club back on its feet away from the field.
‘‘What we’re trying to do is import our knowledge not only on the field but off of it as well,’’ he said.
‘‘While winning games would be nice, it’s about getting the culture right and sometimes the best way to do that is to have someone from the outside come in.’’
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