Following a whirlwind season, Brisbane Lions NEAFL coach Leigh Harding can finally take the time to sit back and enjoy the Sunshine State.

Nobody would say the former North Melbourne crumber hasn’t earned a rest, after guiding the Lions to a second consecutive cross-conference flag, and ensuring the Lions went through 2013 with a phenomenal 19-2 record.

Making his effort all the more impressive is the shotgun manner the 32-year-old found himself filling Nathan Clarke’s shoes, with Harding uprooting his wife and young daughter from Victoria and starting his coaching tenure within a week of receiving the congratulatory phone call from Brisbane.

“It was absolute chaos for that week,” Harding recalls.

“Having to pack up an entire house and move interstate was pretty crazy, especially considering I’ve never lived outside Victoria before.

“I moved to Brisbane in late February and coached my first game within ten days of arriving, but it was a great, if not tiring, experience.”

Though he made his playing debut against the Lions, in Brisbane’s premiership year of 2001, Harding’s ties with the club were tenuous to say the least, with “a couple of games at the Gabba” the most time he’d spent in Queensland’s capital until landing the coaching role.

But he’s thoroughly enjoying life in Brisbane, and with another year on his contract, the chance to try and steer Brisbane to a NEAFL three-peat is an exciting prospect.

“The weather up here is fantastic, and the people are great; it’s a nice laidback place,” Harding says.

“It is a little odd being outside the footy hub that is Victoria, but it’s refreshing to not be bombarded by football 24/7.

“With the NEAFL’s new structure next year I can only see the competition getting stronger; higher salary cap, better players, and an even more viable pathway to the AFL.

“I’m really looking forward to it, and hopefully we can challenge for the premiership again.”

While he was confident of at least securing an interview for the vacant coaching role with the Lions – a CV including 141 games in the top flight will do that – Harding was preparing for his third season as a player and assistant coach in the VFL with Werribee: “I was ready and raring to play games, with a full pre-season under my belt.”

But after making the “almost instant” call to head north, the fitness gained over summer was put to use packing boxes instead of boxing out of packs.

Still, there’s that lingering itch to be amongst the playing action; understandable, considering Harding’s only been outside the AFL a few years.

“Maybe next year I’ll try and play some footy for another local club, as well as coaching,” Harding says with a wry smile.

“I do miss the competitiveness of playing.

“At training I’ll put on the boots quite often, if numbers are lacking I’ll get in on drills too, and that’s good fun.”

But while there may be an eventual swansong to his playing career, Harding is intent on “serving an apprenticeship,” with Brisbane, with a view to occupying a higher coaching station in the future.

But if an AFL position doesn’t eventuate, you get the sense Harding will be happy, as long as he’s got some association with the game he’s loved since his junior days in Geelong.

“Outside coaching or playing strictly, I really love the development stuff; it’s definitely what I enjoy most,” Harding says.

“It’s so rewarding putting time into blokes and seeing them take steps forward – Nick Hayes is one great example for me this year – and I think I do it well.

“Coming off a rookie list myself, I know what it’s like to have to work extra hard to get a shot, and I know the types of things the young guys are going through, what they need to do to get into the senior side, and I pass that knowledge on.”

Sam Canavan is a journalist with the NEAFL. You can follow him on twitter @samcanavan