Having spent the last three years as a player and captain, Mikael Webber will add 'coach' to his resume when he takes to the field for the Dirty Reds this season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Goulburn number eight last coached the side four years ago, before Ben Pearson came on board in 2017, but the incumbent chose to step aside in 2020 for personal reasons.
Though the thought of filling Pearson's sizeable shoes may be daunting for many, but Webber's past experience in the role means he knows what to expect.
" I actually did it [coached] the year before Pearso took over in 2016, so it's not completely foreign," Webber said.
Webber will take the reins as the Dirty Reds look to rebound from a loss to the Gungahlin Eagles in the 2019 ACT First Division First Grade grand final.
Though the match has not been explicitly discussed by the group, the new coach can feel the players' determination to make 2020 even better.
"We haven't really spoken about the grand final, we haven't forgotten about it," he said.
"Everyone's sort of moved on from that now and focused on this year."
Pre-seasons often start slowly and ramp up in intensity as the season approaches, but Webber said the early turnout to training has been "pretty encouraging".
"I think we've had 30-odd faces at training, and that's been in two weeks."
One of the most important issues in Webber's mind is continuity. Often when an old coach leaves, his replacement brings a distinct style which can be jarring for the players until they acclimate.
"We're going to continue rolling the way we were," Webber said.
"I spoke to a few senior players about taking over and that's one of the reasons I took the job, because we didn't want to change too many things."
The Dirty Reds' first assignment in 2020 will be the Kiama Sevens, which the team won in 2019.
Considering the success that followed their inaugural win last year, Webber hopes to repeat the feat, but will not put too much pressure on the players.
"We've gone for a couple of years, and to win it was good," he said.
"[It's an opportunity to] go away and have fun, and it's a good social night the next night.
"If we go down there and go well again it means we're on the right track."
As the Goulburn's preparations begin to pick up steam, there are several areas of play Webber believes the team needs to polish.
"We've just got to be a bit better in the central parts of the game, the really fiddly parts of the game," he said. "At the level we're playing, if we can do that it'll put us in a good position.
"Our scrum and our set piece was a bit disappointing last year, to be honest it probably cost us a premiership."
Should the Dirty Reds begin the season in similar form to that of 2019, their opponents will be hard-pressed to stop them.
While you're with us...
Did you know the Goulburn Post is now offering breaking news alerts and a weekly email newsletter? Keep up-to-date with all the local news: sign up here.