By Jonty Ralphsmith
Casey premiership coach Mark Corrigan has departed the club to take on the role as Geelong’s VFL coach.
Geelong announced his arrival last week, with Corrigan accepting the role at the club he represented throughout his playing career to be closer to family.
Corrigan, colloquially known as ‘Harry’, this season took the Demons to their first premiership since 1999, winning the grand final by 32 points in soggy conditions against Southport.
Casey has been the clear pace-setter in the state league, winning 20 of 21 matches, the only loss coming to preliminary finalists Brisbane in the last round of the home and away season.
He took over ahead of the 2021 season, helping the club rebound to the upper echelon of the VFL after a disappointing season in 2019.
The Dees finished fifth with seven wins from nine games before the season was called off due to the pandemic.
Captain Mitch White highlighted the strong system that Corrigan put in place and how it allowed the squad to flourish.
“He put a lot of trust in players like myself and Jimmy to go about our stuff, but when implementing messages about what we needed to focus on, we collaborated so we got the right messages across instead of mixed messages so it was just a mutually respectful relationship,” White said.
“He provides a great platform and puts trust in the program – here’s what we’re going to give you but it is up to you to make the most of it and if you want to get better, you’ve got the tools, so you have to be happy to use them.”
Several mechanisms were also put in place to nourish relationships between AFL and VFL-listed players, something Corrigan emphasised during his tenure.
White added that it was a discussion he had in a 2021 exit meeting with Corrigan which catalysed his move to the midfield in 2022, a position he thrived in, being named in the VFL Team of the Year and winning Casey’s best and fairest.
“He saw a bit of growth in my game and ability to use some of the attributes I had more often, which you get playing midfield with the contested ball and ability to win one on one contests,” White said.
“He saw that potential and it got thrown up to get a bit fitter and we’ll see how we go because we knew I had forward to fall back on if it didn’t work.”
