Barnawartha has lured premiership coach Adam Mudra out of retirement, signing a two-year deal at Tigerland.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
He is no stranger to the competition after having coached rival club Kiewa-Sandy Creek from 2017 to 2021 and delivered the Hawks their most recent flag in 2018.
The 46-year-old recharged the batteries before having a coaching role last year at Wodonga under coach Jordan Taylor.
Mudra said he felt refreshed and excited to replace co-coaches Matt Dalbosco and Richie Blunden at the end of the year with the Tigers most likely to miss finals this season.
"I've recharged the batteries but am now looking forward to my next coaching venture," Mudra said.
"Once you get the coaching bug, it's hard to ignore and you are probably stuck with it for most of your life.
"The bug is always there and it is more a case of how long you can keep it at bay for when you are not coaching.
"I have had a few years away from coaching but I knew I was always going to get back into it... it was just a matter of when and where.
"Once I was approached by Barnawartha, I saw it as a really exciting opportunity.
"They reached out to me to coach this year but the time wasn't quite right because of my family commitments.
"But they were respectful of that but reached out again recently and we went from point A to point B and this is where we have landed."
Mudra felt he could be an even better coach this time around after gaining valuable experience with the Hawks where he boasted an 80 percent winning strike rate.
"Ultimately the results and player development will dictate how I'm rated as a coach," he said.
"But I feel that I've put my time away to good use and spent a bit of time with the senior group at Wodonga last season.
"You are never the finished product and can always learn to be better.
"Spending time under Jordan Taylor was fantastic for my coaching development and I learnt a lot in that space.
"So I feel like that I'm better prepared to coach again but I will strive for the club and the players to improve under my coaching."
Barnawartha have played finals in both seasons since COVID and won the thirds flag two years ago with several of the club's teenagers being given senior opportunities.
Mudra felt the Tigers list was in relatively good shape.
"There is a good blend of experience and youth, so as an incoming coach, that is exciting, knowing there is some great talent there and experience to help guide that talent," he said.
"Those older and more experienced guys will certainly play an important role in terms of the kids' development and how quickly the club can improve.
"The aim for all clubs is to be as successful as they can be.
"From the outside looking in, they have been competitive against the top-five sides this season but haven't been able to stay in games for long enough."
Mudra said his first goal would be to retain as many players as possible for next season.
"I've always been big on the fact that retention is your best recruiting tool," he said.
"So the club and I will dive into retention fairly quickly and try to hold on to the bulk of the playing list.
"Some players will move on for different reasons which is inevitable in all footy clubs.
"After the retention period, you assess the list and then you can identify what areas you need to bolster and be specific about recruiting targets.
"That is a bit down the track though and I haven't even met the playing group yet."
