This from the Melbourne Rebels camp: The Melbourne Rebels are pleased to announce the appointment of leading sports administrator, Danny Corcoran, to the position of General Manager, Rugby Operations.

Chief Executive of Athletics Australia for the past six years, Corcoran steered the organisation through a prosperous time, seeing it achieve outstanding results at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.

Danny leaves the sport in great shape as the buildup to the 2012 London Games begins in earnest over the next twelve months. But the offer from the Rebels and a chance to get back into a team environment proved too great.

“I have had a burning desire to get back into a professional team sport environment,” said Corcoran.

“The winning, losing and being part of a close-knit team, on and off the field, is something that I have missed and is what I’m really looking forward to. Obviously, one of the key drivers is the challenge of being part of the team that is charged with setting up a new club.

Being a part of that team and having the opportunity to work with a legend of rugby in Coaching Director, Rod Macqueen, is an exciting proposition.

To help bring rugby into the forefront of people’s minds, in one of the greatest sporting cities in the world, in a new stadium, will be a great challenge and one that is potentially very rewarding for all involved. It’s a great challenge for us and one I genuinely believe this franchise can achieve.”

Chief Executive, Brian Waldron is delighted with the appointment.

“Danny is highly experienced, having been involved with successful teams in his history, including AFL side, Essendon. He currently holds the most senior athletics role in the country and has expertise in high performance. Put simply, Danny is a wonderful addition to the team.”