Blowes Clothing Cup-winning coaches Paul Ringland and Jeremy Wallace will both return to Orange Emus’ helm for a tilt at a third straight title in 2017, confirming they’ll take on the job on again on Monday afternoon.
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That’s assuming the greens field a colts XV, which the club will need to do or risk being shunted back to the second tier GrainCorp Cup.
The last time Emus fielded a colts side regularly was 2009, when the greens won the title. Emus did field a colts team in 2015, however it was sporadic.
When the reigning premiers announced Ringland and Wallace as first grade coaches – along with Graydon Staniforth, who returns after a year away to replace Andrew Logan – they also made a positive move toward fielding that colts side by naming their under-19 mentors too.
Don Moor, fresh off helping coach the greens’ reserve graders to a grand final appearance last year, will be joined by greenhorn mentor Eoin Scullion, who is making his first foray into the coaching world.
Emus also announced a huge coup, multiple-premiership-winning coach Richard Turnbull will return to the club, albeit in a part-time consultant role.
“Richard is going to act as a sounding board for us and the junior coaches too, I wasn’t here when he was but from what I hear he’s an amazing coach. It’s great to have him on board in any capacity,” Scullion said.
“Don and I know it’s going to be a challenge to go from where we have been and where we are now at the colts level to where we want to be, but it’s a challenge we’re looking forward to.
“The club has tried very hard to field colts teams in the past few years and we’ll continue to work hard to do so, I’m confident we will in 2017 too.
“Everything’s coming together a bit now, we’ve started trying to draw some players in to increase the group of guys we already have for the under-19 age group and hopefully we’ll have a big roll-up when we start pre-season on January 10.”
Scullion was quick to put a kibosh on anything relating to a goal for his colts during the season, for now anyway.
“We haven’t spoken seriously about the season, performance wise, just yet,” Scullion said.
“Right now Don and I have two goals, get a team on the paddock and keep it on there regularly.
“Obviously we’ll work to instill the Emus’ attitude and discipline in the colts, but that’s not the priority right now.”
Barry Ruddy, Pete Roberts and Stu Brisbane will once again coach the greens’ third grade side, while the club is yet to confirm a mentor for reserve grade.