New assistant coach Dale Tapping has credited Essendon’s positive environment and culture as the key factors behind his decision to join the club.

Returning to his native Melbourne after five seasons as Brisbane’s midfield coach, Tapping had several Victorian suitors but ultimately landed on the Bombers, where he’ll oversee their forward line.

He said he couldn’t resist the vibe emanating from Essendon this year.

“When I had a chat with Josh [general manager of football Josh Mahoney] and Ben [senior coach Ben Rutten] a few weeks ago, they asked what I had noticed about Essendon,” Tapping said.

“I said, ‘It looks like everyone is enjoying their football again, and that the environment’s a very positive one’. For a new person coming in, that’s exciting.

“I just feel Essendon, particularly this year, really started to show what they were trying to do and what they wanted to be. They just seem like a happy group. That’s important and that really shone through for me.

“It’s obviously a big club and the facilities are awesome, but that’s only one component of it. It [decision] was really about the dynamics they’re trying to create, and this year you could see that.

“They’ve got a really talented group. The young players who had exposure this year have got great potential, and the experienced players have taken control of where they want to go, and that shows a really good connection.”

While Tapping will be the only non-former AFL player among Essendon’s assistants – he was a VFA premiership player with Prahran in 1987 – he boasts an impressive 23 years of coaching experience.

Guiding the Sandringham Dragons to the 2011 TAC Cup premiership, Tapping’s apprenticeship to AFL ranks also included stints at Old Brighton, Old Scotch and Western Jets.

His AFL start came ahead of the 2012 season, when Collingwood recruited him as a development coach under then-first-year senior coach Nathan Buckley.

Tapping took the reins of Collingwood’s VFL side in 2013, culminating in a preliminary final appearance in 2016 that earned him VFL Coach of the Year honours.

His ascension sparked the interest of the Lions, who snapped him up ahead of the 2017 season – Chris Fagan’s first at Brisbane’s coaching helm.

Despite his vast coaching experience, it’s surprising that Tapping has just two connections at Essendon: James Stewart from the Sandringham days and Tom Cutler from his time at the Lions.

His relative anonymity at the club won’t be an issue, however, with Tapping highly regarded in footy circles for his ability to build authentic relationships.

“First and foremost, it’s [building authentic relationships] about taking a genuine interest in who the players and coaches are, and what they’re about. That could be what their family connection is, and could be as simple as knowing the names of their children. You need to have an understanding of the people you’re working with and their personal dynamics,” he said.

“You’ve got to get on the journey with them and understand the struggle these guys can sometimes go through, particularly young players, because it’s OK for these guys to make mistakes and you need to have some perspective around that.

“It’s about investing in people and being authentic. It’s not a complicated philosophy, but something I stick to, especially in team sport where it’s all about connection. You need to build it, understand it and develop it.”

Tapping said his philosophies were only strengthened during his time at Brisbane, citing Lions senior coach Fagan as one of the greatest mentors in his coaching career.

He said he learned valuable lessons from Fagan on how to establish and build a successful environment, with the pair arriving at the Lions at a time where the team was young and languishing in the lower reaches of the ladder.

“The key thing I take out of my time at Brisbane is how important your environment is. Getting there at the start of 2017, it was also Fages’ first year there, and we were starting from ground zero,” he said.

“It’s been great to be part of that build to the point where they’ve had top-four finishes in three years and won a lot of games of footy. The way they’ve evolved from a young group at a lower base, I think the playing group matured and the coaching group matured with them, and that all happened off the back of having a really good environment.

“I’ve learned a lot off Fages around the man-management aspect of coaching. He didn’t play at the elite level either and was a very good player in the second tier, but he’s an elite coach and elite man-manager. He gives his people autonomy to do their jobs very well. He has a lot of confidence in the people he employs.”

As for the new senior coach he’ll work alongside, Tapping said he couldn’t be more impressed with Ben Rutten’s approach.

“The thing that stood out for me with Ben is his sense of calmness. He’s clear about the direction of the football club, what he wants the football club to look like, and the roles he sees myself and the other coaches playing,” he said.

“That really stood out, as well as the work he’s done over the last couple of years to get the club in a positive position where they can look to continue to build their footy.”

Tapping will move to Melbourne with his young family and commence his role in November. He joins five-time All-Australian Alex Rance as new additions to the Bombers’ coaching line-up.