Bob McCallum will take the helm at Buln Buln next season after an extensive football career.

The ruckman won six BnF’s at Drouin and played a year in the VFL, but will step into the Lyrebirds’ lead coaching role next year.

The 36-year-old’s built up a reputation as a Gippsland League powerhouse, where he played in 10 interleague teams and won the League’s overall best and fairest in 2015.

So it came as a tough decision to leave Drouin, one that McCallum was back and forth on in the early days.

“The competitive side in me still wanted to play at that Gippsland League level and I’ve made a lot of rivalries along my journey and you sort of want to continue those and play at the highest level as long as you can,” he said. But after much thought, he accepted the Lyrebirds’ lead coach role and will return to the EDFL’s competition as a ruck.

“Once the decision was made to come across, the excitement started pretty quickly … we’re probably a month away from preseason and I can’t wait to start this journey,” McCallum said.

Buln Buln President Daryl Pollard said the whole club was excited to see the Ruckman return to the side.

“We’re absolutely rapt, our last coach couldn’t commit to another year because he’s going up to Queensland.

“Hopefully we can develop our young players, from the ground up to the seniors,” Pollard said.

While McCallum racked up more than 200 games and was coach at Drouin for three years, his first coaching experience was at Buln Buln in 2013 where he assisted now Nilma Darnum coach Paul Alger. This year, the two will sit in opposing coach boxes when Nilma Darnum and Buln clash.

“It’ll be a bit of fun, I can’t wait to go up against him. We talk pretty often so it was just another lure of coaching for Buln,” he said.

Buln Buln will be a different challenge, the club have a strong playing group and were in impressive form this year. The Lyrebirds finished third on the ladder and defeated a top-shelf Trafalgar. The seniors will no doubt be eyeing a premiership in the ’22 season.