The former defender announced his retirement from the Brisbane Lions at the end of September after a hip injury prevented him from playing on.
PRESS PLAY to watch the interview with Drummond | YouTube
“When I first pulled the pin on playing I came down to see Steve Saunders who is a bit of a hip guru,” Drummond said.
“I came to get a bit of closure on where I was at and whether there was anything worth salvaging from a playing point of view. Once we came to the agreement that there probably wasn’t much to do, we spoke about the coaching thing.
“It’s really exciting to be down here and get stuck into it. I know Brad (Scott) well from playing and I’ve also met Brady (Rawlings) through his brother Jade who coached us up at Brisbane.”
Drummond, who is currently completing a post-graduate degree in sports science and coaching, will work closely with the youngest Kangaroos as they begin their careers, find their feet and make the transition from VFL to AFL.
“I’ll be working more with the one to four year players. North’s full of young, exciting talent so it’s a big role and one that I’m looking forward to.
“There’s a lot of young guys coming through who have shown plenty. Hopefully they can build individually as well as a team and keep taking steps forward after making finals last year. “
Chief of football Donald McDonald said Drummond is highly regarded and will be an asset with his wealth of football knowledge and experience.
“We were really impressed by Josh’s great leadership qualities and the respect he earned from his peers at Brisbane. Everyone we dealt with spoke so highly of him from players, to staff and obviously Brad who spent time playing with him,” McDonald said.
“He’s not just a retired player slipping into a coaching role; Josh is really passionate and has always had a strong interest in coaching. He planned out his next chapter and was prepared to do the hard yards to step into coaching this year.
“His role will compliment Brady Rawlings who deals with recruiting our new players and helping them settle in for the first three months, then Josh will work closely with them from then on.
“He’s recently out of the game so the knowledge and experience he will bring to the role as well as his ability to relate to the players will be invaluable. It can be a tough journey as an AFL footballer and Josh has had to work through his share of setbacks which makes his determination even more impressive.”
McDonald confirmed north first considered making Drummond a playing Kangaroo during the recent AFL Free Agency period.
“We spoke to Josh during that time but when he decided to hang up the boots, we began discussions with him about a coaching position which he had said was his plan after football.
The former Lions vice-captain was drafted in 2003 as a mature-aged rookie from the Sunshine Coast and was known for his precise left-foot kick and attacking style across half-back.
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