Chris Connolly

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Chris Connolly (born 25 March 1963) is the coach of Australian rules football Fremantle Football Club.

Chris Connolly (left) with Michael Broadbridge

1 Playing career
2 Coaching career
- 2.1 Fremantle Football Club
3 Teaching career

[edit] Playing career

During a playing career with the Melbourne Football Club, he played 84 games and kicked 38 goals as a mid-fielder. He played from 1982-1987 and 1989, in a career that was cut short by knee injuries.

[edit] Coaching career

In 1991 Connolly was appointed as an assistant coach at Melbourne Football Club. He then became the head coach of the under 18 Eastern Ranges team in 1992. 1995 saw Connolly coach the Victoria Metro team in the National Under 18 Championships.

1996 saw Connolly join the Hawthorn Football Club as their reserves coach. In 2000 he was elevated to the No 1 assistant coach for the league team. In 2001 Connolly coached one game for the Hawthorn Football Club (in Round 17 against Carlton) in the absence of the regular head coach, Peter Schwab, who suffered from an irregular heartbeat.

[edit] Fremantle Football Club

Connolly took over the coaching reigns for the 2002 season at the Fremantle Football Club following their dismal wooden spoon season of 2001 in which they only won two games. He took the club to its first ever finals series in 2003, but was beaten comprehensively by Essendon at its home ground of Subiaco Oval.

In the years since Connolly has been much maligned for not building on that initial finals appearance, with the Dockers finishing 9th in 2004 (missing the finals), and finishing 10th in 2005. In 2005, despite a late season surge following a 5 win, 9 loss start when Connolly was under immense pressure from fans, they again missed the finals.

The Dockers' failure to live up to their perceived potential under the guidance of Connolly led to some off-field changes prior to the 2006 season, with two high-profile assistant coaches from Essendon in Mark Harvey and Robert Shaw joining the Dockers coaching staff. On-field, however, Connolly made only three changes to the playing list, trusting the young list that has been developed over the past four seasons. Despite an indifferent start to the season and with immense media scrutiny on Connolly's coaching, Fremantle again stormed home, winning a club record 9 games in a row and finished 3rd at the end of the home and away season. The finals series saw Fremantle lose to Adelaide away, before Connolly led them to the club's first ever win in finals game, against Melbourne at Subiaco Oval. The season ended the following week, however, with a loss to Sydney at Telstra Stadium in the preliminary final.

In Round 5, 2006, Connolly was involved in the 2006 AFL siren controversy where he ran onto the ground believing play had finished and was involved in a heated discussion with Lenny Hayes.

[edit] Teaching career

Connolly taught at Pembroke Secondary College in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria until 2000. He taught classes in Physical Education, Health studies and specialist sporting activity.