President John Nicol is thrilled about the news. “Simon is a quality person and a very good coach who has done a magnificent job in his two years in the senior role. This year, especially, he has had to deal with enormous hurdles created by the injury toll at both the Bulldogs and our own club but he has risen above that and given the Tigers yet another finals appearance. The Board sees this as a real bonus leading into the finals and for the future of the football club.”
Simon’s football career began in Tasmania. He joined the Bulldogs in 1987 - playing 127 games - before crossing to Fitzroy for two years, where he played 41 games. He joined Werribee as a player in 1997, winning the Best and Fairest in his first year.
After more than 80 games, he retired at the close of the 2000 season. His coaching debut year brought a flag for the Tigers, winning the 2001 Reserves premiership. He continued in the role for 2002 before going to Coburg for a season, coaching the Reserves then acting as Bulldogs runner in 2004.
Taking the mantle as senior coach of the Tigers in 2005, Simon and his team made it through to the Grand Final, only to lose by 9 points.
The club is also pleased to announce that Steven Kretiuk will continue as Reserves coach in 2007 and Geoff Bebend as an assistant coach to Simon.
“I‘m glad the negotiations are done so I can totally focus on our finals campaign,” said a delighted Atkins. “We have a good bunch of young players and older heads and we will give it our best shot this year. I’m excited by what we can do in the future. Having Krusher and Beebs is great news too. This is a great footy club and it is exciting to be part of it.”
