Adelaide have cemented their coaching structure for the 2024 season, with development coach Jack Hombsch earning a promotion as recently delisted backman Andrew McPherson joins Matthew Nicks' coaching ranks.
Hombsch joined the Crows' AFLW coaching program two years ago and has since held roles with the club's SANFL and AFL groups following his retirement from a 116-game career with Port Adelaide, GWS and Gold Coast.
The ex-AFL journeyman will now lead Adelaide's backline group from 2024, taking on Scott Burns' role as the senior assistant moves into the forward coaching position made vacant by James Rahilly's recent move to Geelong.
“Jack has already built some very strong relationships with our players, in particular the defenders, and is a natural fit as backline coach,” Adelaide football boss Adam Kelly confirmed on Wednesday.
“He has shown great initiative as a coach on game day at SANFL level and the way he has been able to educate some of our younger defenders has been very impressive.
“As a player he was a talented and hard-working defender who embraced a challenge and showed great resilience and now is instilling similar characteristics in our group as a coach.
“And Scott Burns is one of the most experienced assistants in the AFL who has coached across all three lines and will bring that experience to our forwards group.”
McPherson will join Matthew Wright and Chelsea Randall as a development coach, working with Marco Bello and SANFL coach Michael Godden in the club's pathways department.
The recently delisted defender played 28 games for Adelaide across seven seasons with the club, with his finals years on the Crows's list heavily impacted by injury.
“Unfortunately injuries meant his playing career came to a premature end, but through that came opportunities for Andrew to explore coaching,” Kelly said.
“He was able to support our coaches on game day in the SANFL where he showed good aptitude and knowledge of the game, and he was an assistant coach of the state under-16 program this year.
“Andrew is an outstanding character, a strong leader and also a two-time winner of our Dr Brian Sando OAM Award for professionalism and dedication so will add a lot to our development program headed by Marco Bello.”
Assistant coach Michael van Berlo will continue his position as Adelaide's midfield coach.
