Even pulling on the Talbot polo shirt for a photo was a strange experience for Stephen Frys, who has closed a chapter on his long career with Smythesdale.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Following news that the Bulldogs’ appeal to AFL Victoria – in a bid to join the Mininera and District competition – had been thrown out, Frys was announced as the Hawks’ new assistant coach for the 2019 season.
The move brings an end to Frys’ direct involvement with Smythesdale, where he has been at the coalface since returning to the club in 2011.
Frys served as head coach of the Bulldogs from 2014 and was actively involved in trying to rescue it from the doldrums of the Central Highlands Football League.
Listen to our extended interview with Stephen Frys here.
He said the move to Talbot, which plays in the Maryborough Castlemaine District competition, had been spoken about for some time.
“It’s sort of been in the pipeline for a couple of months now,” Frys said.
“Once the Smythesdale thing started to go downhill, the Talbot boys contacted me to see where I was at. I thought about it for a good month and a half…”
Frys said Talbot had instigated the contact and planted the idea of a move into his head.
He revealed Smythesdale had decided to look elsewhere for its coach, and following that news, he had decided to take up the offer from the Hawks.
“Smythesdale didn’t want me there as a coach this season so I was sort of weighing up whether to stick around if things were to go ahead...,” he said.
“Once Talbot gave me a call, I thought it was a good opportunity to go and explore other options.”
Frys is contemplating an on-field assistant coaching role with the Hawks, which made finals in 2018.
“I did retire at the end of last year, but I did train (Monday night). I’m kind of hoping to get a few games in, but it just all depends on how the body is,” Frys said.
Frys’ former Smythesdale teammates Josh Szabo and Damien Kennedy have also committed to Talbot.
