FORSTER'S recently retired NSW Women's Origin rugby league star Kylie Hilder will coach the Sydney Roosters women's nines side for next year's tournament in Perth.
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Hilder, the NSWRL women's participation officer has already had a taste of coaching after working as an assistant to Rick Stone at the Sydney Roosters for the NRLW season.
Hilder said she would work closely with the coaching staff for the Roosters men's team for the Nines. This includes former NRL players Matt King and Nathan Cayless.
"We're all going to do it as joint venture where I'll be able to bounce some ideas off them and help them with the men's and they'll be helping me with the women's as well," Hilder said.
"I'm very excited, obviously, it's a great honour to be asked to even to do it.
"With the Nines, it's such a fun concept and it'll be my first coaching project on my own.
"I think it's the perfect stepping stone and I'm looking forward to it.
"NSWRL have been very supportive in giving me time to take on this new direction."
Despite taking on the new role, Hilder said she didn't have any aspirations yet to coach the Roosters NRLW side in 2020.
"I still think I've got a lot to learn in the game before I feel ready within myself to take on a role like that so I'll just do the Nines first and see how I go,'' she said.
"Just because you play the game it doesn't necessarily mean you are a good coach either.
"It's not just the coaching of rugby league it's also understanding the role of the coach, so I'm wanting to learn as much as I possibly can.
"I know a lot of the players that are in the game at the moment so that helps in a way with coaching but it can also be a deterrent because you still have that close relationship with them but it's about finding that balance.
"We don't have too many female coaches around but the game is evolving and the more we can get women involved, not just coaching but as trainers and things like that, the better it will be."
The mother of two first represented NSW in rugby league 10 years ago and decided to retire at the end of this season but not before adding two impressive milestones to her extensive career.
"I couldn't have thought of a better way to sign off after winning the NSWRL Harvey Norman Women's Premiership competition with the CRL Newcastle side," she said.
"It was a big year for me, especially when I had said I wasn't going to be playing football at all.
"Then to play in the NSW Origin side and win the Harvey Norman premiership with the players who had been working hard for two years to get to there was a pretty fitting finish.''
Source nswrl.com.au
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