Two Blues announce new-look coaching panel

Prahran Assumption will enter the 2020 Division 1 season with a new-look coaching set-up following the announcement former Parkdale Vultures star forward Matt Boland is taking the reigns.

Boland, who is a premiership player for the Vultures and Subiaco in the WAFL, will be assisted by good friend Matt Clifford and Power House champion Adam Collett.

The Two Blues finished eighth in 2019 with five wins for the season.

Read the club’s statement below:

It is with great excitement that we welcome Matt Boland as the new senior coach of Prahran Assumption Football Club for season 2020. Also joining the Two Blues to work alongside Bolo will be his great friend Matt Clifford who has accepted the role of senior assistant coach for the year ahead. Both come to Toorak Park with enviable football resumes and, having trained with our club intermittently throughout the year whilst playing country footy this year, a strong belief that they can help to drive our club forward both on and off the field.

Bolo’s footy journey is a distinguished one – he began his senior footy at Parkdale in the VAFA where he won a senior best and fairest and was a premiership player, followed by two years at Sandringham and then two years at Collingwood in the VFL. He then made the decision to head west where he had a successful stint with Subiaco in the WAFL, netting two premierships including a 7 goal haul in their 2015 flag which saw him awarded the prestigious Simpson Medal for best player on the ground. Upon returning home to Victoria, Bolo played at Parkdale for another 2 seasons followed by an injury interrupted year at Kangaroo Flat in the Bendigo FL in 2019.

Cliffy also has an impressive back catalogue of footy experience – he represented the Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup as a junior and was later named to the Peninsula Football League Team of Year whilst playing at Bonbeach in 2014. He then went on to spend 4 successful years at Hastings FC where he was senior vice captain and a key member in their 2016 premiership side. In 2019 Cliffy was playing assistant coach alongside Bolo at Kangaroo Flat and won their senior best and fairest playing predominantly as a big bodied midfielder who can work hard both ways.

President Fabio Maya welcomed the boys to the Two Blues family: “We are just thrilled to get two quality football people like Matt and Matt to lead our footy club and to build on the great culture on and off field established by Millsy and the playing group over a long period of time” Maya said.

“We are also looking forward to welcoming their family and friends to the club.”