Essendon assistant coach Dale Tapping forced to step away from club to fight cancer
Essendon assistant coach Dale Tapping has stepped away from his role at the club to focus on his ongoing cancer battle.
Tapping was diagnosed with Myeloma, a form of blood cancer, earlier this year, but has continued to work as the club's forwards coach while undergoing treatment.
While the treatment has progressed over the first stage, the 58-year-old has made the decision to step away to put all his energy towards his recovery ahead of the next stage.
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"Dale was diagnosed with Myeloma earlier in the year and has been receiving weekly treatment. Up until this point, his treatment plan and his general wellbeing has allowed him to continue in his coaching role," Essendon football boss Josh Mahoney said in a club statement on Wednesday.
Essendon assistant coach Dale Tapping has been forced away in order to continue his cancer battle Jonathan DiMaggio via Getty Images
"Dale has started a different treatment phase, which will require all his energy, and for this reason, he will step away from his coaching role for a period of time.
"As a club, we fully support Dale, Kelly, Summer and Mason during this period and hope that the positive progressions made to date continue with this treatment."
Tapping opened up on his cancer diagnosis earlier this year, breaking down when he recalled the heart-wrenching moment where he had to tell his kids what he was going through.
"That'd be the hardest conversation I've ever had to have," Tapping said.
"I sort of knew what I'd been diagnosed with (but) talking to them was really, really difficult and sharing that because I didn't have all the information. I was still trying to understand it in my own mind.
Tapping became emotional when recounting a conversation he was forced to have with his children regarding his diagnosis Twitter
"That was really tough. My young fella didn't say a word for about three hours. My daughter was more outwardly emotional. She was all over it. She knew what that meant to a certain point.
"It was a tough conversation. They both took it differently. I never would have forgiven myself if I never had that conversation and they come home and they've heard it innocently through a third party. That was pretty tough sharing that with them."
Essendon's current head of development, Cameron Roberts, will step into Tapping's role as the forwards coach, while continuing to lead the club's development program.
Meanwhile, the club's head of performance, Daniel McPherson, will work with the broader coaching group to cover Tapping's role.
