Rehn joins Lions as Assistant Coach

The Brisbane Lions have added further quality to their coaching staff, with Adelaide premiership ruckman and two-time All-Australian Shaun Rehn coming on board as an assistant coach for 2006.

Rehn, who played 167 senior games with the Crows and Hawthorn between 1991 and 2002, has coached West Adelaide in the SANFL for the last three years.

He coached West Adelaide to a grand final appearance in his first season at the helm in 2003 and guided them to an elimination final berth last year.

The 34-year-old said today that he was looking forward to making the move to Brisbane and was particularly enthused by the chance to work with the Lions' triple-premiership coach Leigh Matthews.

"I'm really excited to be given the opportunity to work with the Lions in a coaching capacity," Rehn said.

"The opportunity to coach under and assist Leigh is obviously a privilege and something I'm really looking forward to."

Matthews, meanwhile, is looking forward to having Rehn work with the Lions' ruck brigade. Among them is 204m youngster Cameron Wood, who played under Rehn at West Adelaide before being taken by the Lions with the No.18 pick of the 2004 National Draft.

"We're really pleased that he will be joining us for next season," Matthews said.

"One of his specific duties will be looking after the big fellas."

Rehn himself was recruited from West Adelaide, making his debut for the Crows in 1991. At 203cm, he quickly established himself as one of the AFL's most influential ruckmen and was a 1994 All-Australian before being forced to undergo knee reconstructions in 1995 and 1996.

Courageously, he returned to be a key contributor in Adelaide's back-to-back flags of 1997 and 1998, again earning All-Australian selection in the second premiership year and finishing fourth in the Brownlow Medal.

Not even a third knee reconstruction in 1999 could stop Rehn, who joined Hawthorn at the end of 2000 and played in a preliminary final for the Hawks in 2001, before retiring after the 2002 season.

Rehn will become a full-time Lions assistant coach alongside John Blakey, Daryn Cresswell and Craig Lambert.