FOOTY works in funny ways.
No matter how long or how short you’ve been in the game, you’re bound to come across someone who you’ve worked with closely.
Take Carlton’s new Senior Assistant Ashley Hansen as the perfect example.
He was a one-club player at the West Coast Eagles, winning a premiership in 2006 and producing 95 goals from his 78 games.
From there, he spent nine years coaching at Whitten Oval, leading Footscray to a VFL premiership in 2016 while forming part of the coaching panel which oversaw a run to this year’s AFL Grand Final.
Two clubs since 2004. Stepping inside the walls of IKON Park was a foreign concept to him: Lewis Young is the only player he’s worked with before, and he wasn’t even a Blue when he was announced as assistant coach.
But what about the Head of Football, Brad Lloyd?
“There aren’t too many I know [at IKON Park],” Hansen said.
“Someone I had a relationship with in my playing days was Brad Lloyd, who actually used to be my manager.
“There was a connection there to begin with.
“The personal growth in my coaching, to be able to work under Michael Voss and also Brad… was really important to me.”
There aren’t many hats which Lloyd hasn’t worn in football: a former Gardiner Medallist (best player in the-then VFL Reserves), Lloyd played for two seasons at Hawthorn before returning to Williamstown, becoming a premiership captain and triple best and fairest.
Around the same time, he was venturing into player management, where Hansen was one of his clients. He then progressed through the recruiting ranks at Fremantle on the way to becoming general manager of list management, before arriving at IKON Park - the former club of his father John - as Head of Football in 2018.
“I’m proud of Ash and what he’s built through his coaching,” Lloyd said.
“He’s got a great background and is really good with people, while he also loves the technical side of the game.
“He’s a premiership player at centre half forward for West Coast, he got into coaching and has a sports science background, having a Masters there while working through his Level Four coaching license.
“That Senior Assistant position is a critical appointment to support ‘Vossy’, and Ash Hansen is perfect for us.”
