Tony Elshaug
Encyclopedia
Tony Elshaug was an Australian rules football
er who played for Melbourne
, Essendon
and Collingwood
Football Clubs in the then Victorian Football League (VFL)
mainly during the 1980s. He also spent almost twenty years as an assistant coach for various Australian Football League
clubs.
with Dandenong
, whom he captain-coached to the 1991 premiership.
, in the newly-established TAC Cup
, which had only just replaced the former VFL/AFL Under 19s competition. After two years at Eastern, Elshaug became an assistant coach to Denis Pagan
at the North Melbourne Football Club
. He was an assistant under Pagan for thirteen years, at North Melbourne from 1994 until 2002, and then at Carlton Football Club
from 2003 until 2006. In 2007, he moved to the St Kilda Football Club. Throughout his coaching career, he has been involved in developmental, senior assistant, and reserves gameday coaching roles. He resigned from his coaching in the middle of the 2010 season for personal reasons, then returned to St Kilda as the recruiting manager in 2011.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who played for Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
, Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
and Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
Football Clubs in the then Victorian Football League (VFL)
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
mainly during the 1980s. He also spent almost twenty years as an assistant coach for various Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
clubs.
Playing career
A rover, Elshaug made his league debut in 1979 with Melbourne and by the age of 19 was representing Victoria in interstate football. He crossed to Essendon in 1984 and was a member of its 1985 premiership side, kicking 37 goals for the season. After a short stint with Collingwood in 1988 he finished his career in the Victorian Football AssociationVictorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
with Dandenong
Dandenong Football Club
Dandenong Football Club was an Australian rules football club which played in the Victorian Football Association . Based in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong, the Redlegs wore navy blue and red as their club colours.-History:...
, whom he captain-coached to the 1991 premiership.
Coaching career
After retiring from playing, Elshaug moved straight into a role as regional manager for the Eastern RangesEastern Ranges
The Eastern Ranges are an Australian rules football team in the TAC Cup.The club is a founding member of the TAC Cup competition and has produced several players for the Australian Football League including Nick Malceski, David Wirrpanda, Jess Sinclair, Damian Cupido, Lindsay Gilbee, Travis Cloke,...
, in the newly-established TAC Cup
TAC Cup
The TAC Cup is an under 18 Australian rules football representative competition held in Victoria, Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne with each team representing 12 Victorian regions....
, which had only just replaced the former VFL/AFL Under 19s competition. After two years at Eastern, Elshaug became an assistant coach to Denis Pagan
Denis Pagan
Denis Pagan is a former Australian rules football coach and player in the VFL/AFL. He is current coach of Northern Knights in TAC Cup.-Playing career:...
at the North Melbourne Football Club
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
. He was an assistant under Pagan for thirteen years, at North Melbourne from 1994 until 2002, and then at Carlton Football Club
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
from 2003 until 2006. In 2007, he moved to the St Kilda Football Club. Throughout his coaching career, he has been involved in developmental, senior assistant, and reserves gameday coaching roles. He resigned from his coaching in the middle of the 2010 season for personal reasons, then returned to St Kilda as the recruiting manager in 2011.