The Collingwood Magpies have today announced that Head Coach Rob Wright will not be offered a new contract, ending his tenure at the club.
Wright has spent three years at the club, one as an assistant and two as senior coach, and finished with record of eight wins, two draws and 20 losses in his time as Head Coach.
Collingwood chief executive, Mark Anderson, thanked Wright for his service and, in particular, the development of a new wave of younger talent.
“Rob and his staff led Collingwood back to finals in 2019 and nurtured a very inexperienced group through a tough campaign in 2020,” Anderson said.
“A raft of injuries and absences depleted the squad this year, which partly explains why the season returned only one win.
“It was a tough hand to be dealt and Rob and his off-court team did an admirable job in the circumstances. Some outstanding young players such as Molly Jovic, who finished runner-up to Geva Mentor in the best and fairest award, emerged with Rob’s guidance.
“Unfortunately, though, we were unable to meet our expectations. On behalf of Collingwood, I thank Rob for all that he gave to our program.”
Wright spoke with the players and staff in the Collingwood program this morning.
“It was a privilege and a pleasure to coach Collingwood and a rewarding professional challenge to oversee the transition from one team to the next,” Wright said.
“The realities of high performance sport can be brutal but we all accept them, players and coaches alike. The SSN is the best domestic netball competition in the world and it is tough.
“That said, I believe Collingwood is positioned to re-emerge in 2021. I hope it does. Thanks to Collingwood and everyone in the program.”
The club confirmed that the process of choosing Wright's successor as Collingwood Netball Head Coach for the 2021 season will commence immediately.