Collingwood has confirmed Graham Wright as its new General Manager of Football following Geoff Walsh's retirement at the end of last year.
It follows news on Friday night that Wright had departed the same role at Hawthorn after 13 years at the club.
It's a homecoming of sorts for the 52-year old, who played 201 AFL games for the Pies from 1988-1998 and was a member of the club's 1990 premiership side.
โI am very excited to take on the General Manager of Football position at Collingwood, and look forward to the opportunity to work with Nathan Buckley, the players and staff at the club,โ Wright toldย collingwoodfc.com.au.
โFollowing a strong 2020 campaign and with a fresh crop of talent from last yearโs draft, I am clearly stepping into a program with a strong foundation and a desire for even greater success.โ
It's a major coup for the Magpies following a tumultuous trade period where the club offloaded Adam Treloar, Jaidyn Stephenson and Tom Philllips due to salary cap pressure.
Collingwood CEO Mark Anderson said Wright was the right man to lead the Pies' football program into the future.
โI am very pleased to confirm the appointment of Graham Wright as Collingwoodโs General Manager of Football,โ he said.
โWe are thrilled to have someone of Grahamโs calibre join the Collingwood Football Club, his experience and knowledge of the game will be a valuable addition to our football program.
โGrahamโs record speaks for itself, he has a well-rounded resume and demonstrated success in recruiting and operations roles across the league and was involved in a highly successful period at Hawthorn Football Club, most recently leading the football department.
โFollowing a thorough recruitment process, we look forward to welcoming Graham back to the club and watching our football department develop further under his leadership."
Anderson credited Nick Maxwell and Marcus Wagner for filling the role on an interim basis.
โOur two interim leaders in Nick Maxwell and Marcus Wagner have done a great job in leading the program and will continue to do so until Graham commences on Monday 8 February. We thank them for the important role they have played and the value they continue to add to our football program."
It's a time of change at Collingwood - with long-standing president Eddie McGuire to step down from his post at the end of the year.
๐ช๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ man for the job.
We're pleased to announce the appointment of Graham Wright to the role of General Manager of Football.
— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) January 17, 2021
