A late pick in the 2004 National Draft, Matthew Egan was quickly becoming a key component of a soon to be premiership winning Geelong side.

But on the eve of the 2007 finals, Egan suffered a serious foot injury and never played at AFL level again.

He fractured the navicular bone in his foot and despite his best efforts he was unable to return to the playing field.

So, Egan turned to coaching.

His first taste was with the Geelong VFL side and the last four seasons have been at Essendon.

He said his injury has helped the way he relates to players now that he’s a coach.

“What you learn I guess is empathy and some things like that and how to deal with these situations,” Egan said.

“There is no doubt the end of my career, it was a tough time, so you do learn a lot over the journey.”

Egan will stand in as the Bombers head coach for the rest of the season.

But that doesn’t mean he’s thinking about filling the position permanently.

“It’s been a pretty busy week so I’m really focusing on this week,” Egan said.

“I’ve been coaching seven years, three in development, I’ve done forward line and backline so I probably need to get a bit more experience in a different area. 

“But I love the club, I hope I’m here long-term.”