Widely travelled Ron Rae has welcomed his reappointment as head coach of the Forster Tuncurry Dolphins for next winter’s Lower Mid North Coast rugby union premiership, but he retained the position with a warning.
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His message to players at a special meeting this week was: train and play conscientiously, play with attitude and train more regularly……. or find another head coach.
With a quarter of a century of training and rugby coaching behind him, beginning as a physical trainer with Rod Macqueen’s Warringah club on Sydney’s Northern Peninsular before launching into coaching with clubs in Western Australia and Queensland and on NSW’s South Coast, he speaks with much authority.
It irked Rae, in his first year as the Dolphins’ head coach last winter, that the team won the major semi-final against the Wallamba Bulls, of Nabiac, two tries to nil and 17-9, to qualify for their fifth successive grand final, only to lead in the premiership-decider, and have their crown snatched from them by the Bulls, two tries–all and 15-14.
“I knew we would lose the grand final after the major semi-final,” Rae said.
I have told the players: be more conscientious, train regularly or that’s it – find a new coach!
- Ron Rae, Forster Tuncurry Dolphins head coach
“Our attitude was all wrong.
“It was as though we had won the title the week before the decider.
“I have told the players: ‘be more conscientious, train regularly or that’s it – find a new coach!’”
Equally pleasing for the club is that the former Mid North Coast under 19 representative team coaches, Mark Hudson, ex-breakaway and captain of the Dolphins’ initlal premiership-winning team of 2008, and former NSW Country five-eighth, David Birch, playing partner of Singleton’s test halfback, Steve Merrick, have offered to coach the Dolphinettes, the club’s first women’s team.
Women players interested in rugby union sevens competition next season had a training session with the NSW rugby union’s development officers, Padraig Bowen and Tom Davidson, in charge last night (Tuesday).
The Wallamba Bulls’ first women’s gala sevens carnival will be held at Nabiac’s Aub Ferris Oval on December 16 from 12.30 pm.