Sydney Swans assistant coach Dean Cox has been named on a panel set to support Swans coach John Longmire in this month's State of Origin match for bushfire relief.
When Longmire steps into the coaches' box to lead the All Stars against Victoria at Marvel Stadium on February 28, he'll be joined by five assistant coaches: Cox, Stuart Dew, Michael Voss, Mark McVeigh and Joel Corey.
Meanwhile, Victoria will be led by senior coach Damien Hardwick, as well as assistants Alastair Clarkson, Adam Kingsley, Robert Harvey and Dean Solomon.
All Stars' coaching panel
Senior coach: John Longmire (Sydney Swans)
Assistant coach: Dean Cox (Sydney Swans)
Assistant coach: Stuart Dew (Gold Coast Suns)
Assistant coach: Michael Voss (Port Adelaide)
Assistant coach: Mark McVeigh (GWS)
Assistant coach: Joel Corey (Western Bulldogs)
Victoria's coaching panel
Senior coach: Damien Hardwick (Richmond)
Assistant coach: Alastair Clarkson (Hawthorn)
Assistant coach: Adam Kingsley (Richmond)
Assistant coach: Robert Harvey (Collingwood)
Assistant coach: Dean Solomon (Gold Coast Suns)
AFL General Manager Football – Steve Hocking said the wealth of experience of both coaching panels further demonstrated the clubs' passion to make the event a successful one for all affected by the bushfires.
“Since we announced the event, the buy-in from the clubs, players and coaches, from both the AFLW and AFL competitions, has been exceptional," Mr Hocking said.
“We are coming together for an important event and to raise valuable funds, and I know that when the ball is bounced the competitive juices of these coaches will kick in and we will get a great contest.”
The playing squads will be announced on Tuesday, February 18 at 12:00pm exclusively on www.afl.com.au and through the AFL App, with thanks to Telstra.
About the event
The State of Origin match for bushfire relief was announced last week as a double header with the AFLW Round 4 match between Collingwood and Melbourne. All proceeds from ticket sales and any additional donations will go into a Community Relief Fund set up by the AFL to support communities in fire-affected areas.
This supports the $2.5m already donated by the AFL, its 18 clubs and AFL/AFLW players through the AFL Players’ Association, to support communities impacted by the bushfires across Australia.
A donation of $1 million has gone toward immediate relief efforts on the ground through the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery fund. A further $1.5 million has been contributed into the Community Relief Fund, as identified above, that directly supports the local football clubs and families in these impacted communities nationally.
Event details
Friday, February 28
Marvel Stadium
7:50pm AEDT
State for Origin for match for bushfire relief
Victoria v All Stars
Marvel Stadium
Level 1 and 3 reserved seats
Adults / Concession $20
Junior $10
Level 2 reserved seat
Adults / Concession $40
Junior $20
Junior aged 4-14 years, children 3 and under free of charge.
Ticketmaster will waive all transaction fees in support of the event.
Tickets can be purchased via the Ticketmaster website.
