It’s a homecoming of sorts for Andy Otten.
The newly appointed Hawthorn development coach grew up a Hawthorn supporter, living his early life in the Hawthorn heartland of Box Hill.
He used to venture out to Waverley Park with his older brother Jonny, sit on the outer wing and watch the Hawks play.
The 30-year-old has since spent the last 12 years of his life in Adelaide, after being drafted to the Crows in the 2007 draft before playing 109 games for the club.
But Otten hasn’t forgotten and admits he has felt “nostalgic” in his opening weeks in the brown and gold.
“It’s great being back there for training,” Otten told SEN on Wednesday.
“I had my debut against Hawks as well so it’s great to be back at the team I supported and my old man was pretty happy as well when I told him.”
Identifying that coaching was a likely career path for him post-football, Otten has taken part in the AFL Coaches’ Association Next Coach Program as well as honing his coaching skills whilst on the sidelines with various injuries.
The former Crow has also completed a Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science which will complement his understanding of the program.
“I always had a bit of a plan to get into coaching once my career finished.
“This role came up and Clarko got in touch with me and I just thought it was a really good stepping stone in my first year out of AFL to still be playing a bit and involved while also getting my feet wet on the coaching side.”
