The Western Bulldogs have appointed experienced pair Matthew Egan and Daniel Pratt to key roles in a revamped football department around senior coach Luke Beveridge.
Former All-Australian defender Egan joins the Bulldogs from Geelong in a newly created role as coaching and performance manager under football boss Chris .Grant
Pratt, meanwhile, replaces long-time assistant and popular former player Rohan Smith as an assistant coach.
The former West Coast assistant, whose decade under Adam Simpson included the Eagles’ 2018 flag, will oversee the Bulldogs’ backline and team defence.
Smith’s departure was announced in August after Beveridge described the 300-game champion and 2016 premiership assistant as a “great confidant of mine”.
Former development coach Travis Varcoe and assistant Marc Webb have also left the Bulldogs, who missed the finals in 2023.
Egan featured in 59 games for Geelong before his playing days were cut short by injury and he embarked on a coaching career that has included stints with the Cats, Melbourne and Essendon.
He served as the Bombers’ interim coach for three games in late 2015.
The 40-year-old will perform a range of administrative duties at the Bulldogs and support Grant on broader football program activities.
The Bulldogs’ coaching panel under Beveridge also includes Brendon Lade (midfield) and Matt Spangher (forward line).
The appointments of Egan and Pratt were confirmed by Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains on Friday.
They come after the club reportedly missed out on signing respected figures Andrew McQualter and Justin Leppitsch.
McQualter, who served as Richmond’s interim coach after Damien Hardwick stepped down this year, has joined Melbourne, while Leppitsch will remain at Collingwood.
The Bulldogs are also in the process of appointing a new fitness boss and chief medical officer, following the departures of Mathew Inness and Greg Clugston.
Meanwhile, St Kilda have announced David Misson will continue in the role of executive general manager of football.
Misson has spent the last nine months in the role in an interim capacity following Geoff Walsh’s departure before the 2023 season.
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