At just 31 years of age, Jack Hombsch is already making waves in the AFL coaching world.
Finishing his playing career at the end of 2021, the former key defender was quick to jump into the next phase of his football journey, throwing himself into a development role with the Crows’ AFLW set-up.
Across the next three seasons, Hombsch quickly climbed the ranks at West Lakes, moving into a development role in the men’s program, before taking over as defensive coach prior to the 2024 AFL season.
Joining Noffy and Thomo on the first episode of Crows Chat, Hombsch outlined his coaching journey at Adelaide thus far.
“Towards the end of my playing career coaching was something I definitely started to consider strongly, especially in the development space” Hombsch said.
“A job opportunity initially came up with the Crows’ AFLW program and I thought ‘okay I’ll give it a go’ and see if I am any good at coaching, and if I enjoyed it,” Hombsch said.
“And from the start I really loved my experience with the girls program, the way it’s run with Doc (Matthew Clarke) and Phil Harper, there was no better situation for me to come in and learn.
“The opportunity to move into the men’s program as a development coach then arose and the Club has been a great environment for me to grow and progress, I’ve loved being involved in what we are building here.”
Hombsch took on the biggest responsibility of his budding coaching career this pre-season, leading the Crows’ back six.
He said the transition into the role had been “seamless.”
“It has been really helpful working with Scott Burns as a development coach last year, so I’ve come in and tried not to change too much from what he had previously put in place,” Hombsch said.
“I’ve been able to come in and continue his plan and help keep the defenders on the promising path they are on, the group is certainly a lot of fun to work with.
“Having Andy McPherson come in as a development coach has been great also, and with Burnsy just down the corridor in the forwards room, the transition into the role has been a seamless one.”
When assessing Adelaide’s defensive stocks, Hombsch was full of optimism as to what the group could achieve.
“There has been a lot of natural progression from all the defenders which has been great to watch,” Hombsch said.
“I think Max Michalanney is one we think is a bit older than he actually is, he’s only entering his second year, but some of the stuff is doing is well beyond his years.
“And then the new guys we’ve brought in, Dan Curtin, Oscar Ryan and Karl Gallagher, have been really exciting to watch and I can’t wait to see what they achieve.”
Crows Chat, hosted by Noffy and Thomo, will air every Sunday at 9am on Triple M Adelaide throughout the season.
