New chapter ahead for Bihun’s Demons

The winds of change have blown at the Milawa Recreation Reserve, with the club appointing one of their own, Dan Bihun, as senior playing coach for the 2027 Ovens and King season. Bihun has played 124 games in the red and blue since joining in 2019, and will transition into the top job after impressing stakeholders as stand-in coach on multiple times through 2026. “Towards the end of the year I was asked if it was something I was interested in, coaching’s always something I’ve been interested in,” he said. “Being out there for seven years now, you start to know the people, know the place a bit more and get a bit more confident in being able to have that kind of respect, that ability to coach and people listen to you. “I probably wouldn’t feel comfortable if I want to a new team straight away and was just given the coaching gig without having done it before. “Having that experience out at the club and being there for a few years now, knowing more of the people, it just gives you a bit more confidence. “You’ve got the right people behind you, you’ve got the full support of the club, it just gives you more confidence. “The opportunity came up and I thought it would be a good challenge for me, so I’m excited and said I’d do it if they were happy to have me.” The move comes at a time when the football program stands at a crossroads. The Demons missed finals in both seniors and reserves grade, winning just five matches in the ones and nine in the twos. “It’s the first year I’ve been out there where we haven’t played finals,” Bihun said. “We lost 16 out of our senior side last year, that’s going to make it difficult for any team - we had some travellers who had done their two or three years, some people retired, so it all just happened at once with the turnover, which makes it hard for anyone. “This year, in terms of wins on field, it wasn’t what the club usually expects, but we’ve got that core group of players that you can build around. “It’s not going to take too much for us to get back to where we should be and where we need to be, it’s just about getting those couple of top-up players and mid-range players who can bring up your bottom six and give you a good, established team that’s set up well and structured well.” Bihun will be supported in the reserves by newly-named co-coaches Callum Honey and Hamish Falla, with the trio already hard at work building a list for 2027. “They’ve been out there for a while now as well, they were both there before I was, they’re part of the furniture,” Bihun said. “They were both really keen to take on the twos role, you don’t get many people who put their hand up to coach twos in the O&K, but they’re right into it. “They’re looking at contacting junior league clubs, getting a list of boys to come out and be that next crop, they’re really excited about it. “It’s just starting that new slate, trying to get the culture back to where it was a few years ago, and get the club back up and running.”

New chapter ahead for Bihun’s Demons

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