JAMIE Moorehead will guide Wingham’s fortunes in next season’s Group Three Rugby League competition.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Tigers originally appointed Moorehead and Chris Newman as co-coaches. However, club treasurer Craig Martin has confirmed that Moorehead will now have the job on his own.
“We’ve had a change of plans,’’ Martin replied when asked about Newman.
Moorehead coached Old Bar’s under 18s to the grand final in 2015 and was assistant coach to Gary Bridge at Taree City last season. He was also assistant coach of the Group Three representative team in 2016. This will be his initial appointment as head coach of a first grade side.
This year’s captain-coach, North Coast representative Kurt Lewis, will remain with the Tigers as a player. Wingham has also signed prop Rumone Jackson from Old Bar. Lewis, in his debut season of coaching, took Wingham to the preliminary final this year where they were beaten by eventual premiers, Port City. This was the club’s best result in first grade for nearly a decade.
Wingham made the reserve grade semi-finals but missed the cut in under 18s and league tag.
The Tigers will have one more pre-Christmas training session before breaking until January.
Group Three to stand alone
IT appears that Group Three will again be the regional representatives in the Country Rugby League women’s league tag championships in 2017.
Last season playing as East Coast, Group Three, under coach Scott Jacklin, won the inaugural championship.
Group Three is the only member of the East Coast Region to play league tag. There had been speculation that Group Two and the Northern Rivers Region Rugby League (NRRRL) would start league tag next year.
“However, both said at the Country Rugby League annual conference that they won’t have league tag ready by May, when the Country Championship will be played. That may change, but at this stage we’ll supply the regional side,’’ Group Three CEO Barrie Smith said.
Mr Smith added that the selectors next year will have the luxury of watching league tag matches in the pre-season along with the competition-proper before settling on a side. League tag has been added to the pre-season for next year.
This year a possibles/probables game was played before the Est Coast side was picked. This was held the day of the Group Three/Group Two game at Taree’s Jack Neal Oval.
League tag has been part of the Group Three structure since 2009.