So it'll come as little shock to the wider-Western rugby league community to hear the red and whites' 2020 coach has a Gibson connection.

Luke Petrie will take the reins of the Rhinos ahead of the new Woodbridge Cup season, and his long-time partner Holly Gibson will be joining him.

Holly returns to the club and will play league tag with Manildra in 2020 after both played in Group 10 with Orange CYMS in 2019.

Petrie has a long association with the green and golds, having won a title with the club in premier league in 2017, but admits there's always been a fairly decent chance he'd land at Manildra at some point.

The 25-year-old says he was close to linking with the club last season, but after Mick Sullivan left CYMS he decided to stay in Orange.

"They asked throughout the year though ... they've been asking for a while," he said.

"Holly's out there and her brothers play at the club and I was going to go out this year and then they offered me coaching job, too.

"I hadn't thought too much about it but I'm keen for the season and want to have a good crack it."

Manildra has played in the last two Woodbridge Cup grand finals under the guidance of Simon Osborne, and Petrie says the warhorse prop is uncommitted for next season.

The new Rhinos mentor is hopeful Osborne will again lace up the boots this year, especially as the club tries to turn around the grand final thumping at the hands of Trundle in 2019.

"It's a strong club, a good club to be part of," Petrie added.

Petrie says he'll draw on his experience playing in the halves alongside Sullivan in his first venture as a coach.

Aiming to continue the club's run of finals appearances, the new Manildra coach believes the key to success is simple.

"Just training hard and getting everyone playing for each other. If you look over the years, CYMS' successful sides have been made up of locals blokes wanting to play for each other. So that's the goal here," he said.

ALSO MAKING SPORTING NEWS: