2013 Season Thoughts.
Hi folks, apologies for being a bit slack over the off-season, although I'm sure that those of you who are local or in the know have been keeping an eye on Pam Whaley's great work over at the DA, see links to her stories on
Griffith,
Wagga City, and
SIRU.
From my point of view, I can add the following:
Wagga Waratahs will welcome back travelling international coach Hugh Palmer as their 2013 First Grade Coach. They've got good numbers coming through the ranks which will be interesting to see how things unfold for those regular second graders.
Aggies will be happy to have Richard Turnbull involved again, but my mail says that it will be in a lesser capacity than it was in 2012. There will also be a glut of halfbacks vying for the First Grade #9 at the College.
City will be keen to see how their recruiting campaign pans out and will definitely be sweating on Hamish Wrafter to hang around for 2013. I'll be interested to see what Jason Lagaali brings to the coaching table, he has been coached by some quality coaches in the past, I wonder whether that will come through for the Boiled Lollies.
CSU will be under the pump this year. Mass player departures will not help their cause following the loss of Stirling Ross, Dave White and Jack Burey (all regular long time First Graders). Mick Wakeling will have his work cut out for himself but does have the benefit of having a strong local profile having worked with a lot of the zone's younger players in the past.
Griffith will be very happy to have club stalwart (and ex SIRU Coach) Lee Kimball back at the helm. Lee has an uncanny ability to get the most out of his players and I'm looking forward to seeing how his hard work pays off for the Blacks.
Leeton will be looking to build on what is a solid forward pack under Greg Horton and Matt Allen as co-coaches again in 2013
Albury. I'm hearing that there will be a combined coaching team down on the border with the likes of ex President Scotty Fraser and Dave "Wal" Stuart being involved. I wonder if Albury will manage to coax Nathan Bright and his hombres out of retirement for one last hurrah?
Tumut will need to dig deep again for Tim Graham. The mill may be a great drawcard for the town, but it can be a drawback for the footy club when it comes to shift work. Hopefully the Bulls can wrangle a few this year.
Young will be happy with Luke Eldridge signing on for another season. Luke's positive attitude to all things rugby are a real highlight for this zone and it's a wrap for him to be involved with the rep team again this year.
Temora have gained Apenisa Tudulu as their 2013 coach. Benny has been there behind the scenes for a long time now and I think Bill McCrone will appreciate the lighter load allowing him to focus on playing footy.
Cootamundra haven't confirmed their coach for 2013. I worry about that because these guys have potential and need a strong leader to take charge and point them in the right direction. Hopefully the Tri-Colours get this sorted and can progress into 2013 seamlessly.
RARC have folded and will not take part in the 2013 competition. At this point in time, it's looking like there will be a bye round for First and Second Grade but watch this space to see where things are headed for Hay and Deni.
