In one moment, Max Bailey was celebrating his first AFL premiership with Hawthorn, basking in the glow of a grand final victory he earned the hard way – after eight seasons, 43 games and three knee reconstructions.

The next, he was sitting at his desk at the ME Bank Centre, as a newly-appointed Richmond development coach.

The 27-year-old was keenly sought after by the Tigers after he announced his retirement from playing at the highest level.

“I knew a few people (at Richmond), and I just got talking to them when it became apparent I was going to retire.  It kind of snowballed really quickly from there,” Bailey told Roar Vision.

“I had four weeks overseas, and was thinking I’d do that, come back and sort something out.

“To have something sorted out straight away was a godsend.”

Become a Richmond member for the 2014 season

Bailey has arrived at Tigerland as a member of a beefed-up development department, which includes fellow new addition to the Club, former St Kilda midfielder Andrew McQualter.

“It’s a different experience now, being on the other side of the fence,” he said.

“I’m really enjoying it.  It’s a great group of people, great group of coaches and players to be involved with, so I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

Bailey will work closely with Richmond’s young players, and will play an important role with the Club’s new standalone VFL team.

And, being fresh out of the game, and achieving the pinnacle of success, he realises the importance of player development in the AFL.

“You’ve got these young guys whose their careers hang on the first two or three years in a sense,” he said.

“You need to up-skill them as quickly as possible, and us having our own VFL side is going to help a lot.”

Watch the full interview on Roar Vision in the player above.