Griffith’s Guy Orton is honoured to be granted his first representative coaching role, and says his mission is to restore the Riverina League (RFNL) to former glory.
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After representing the league five times previously, Orton has been named as coach for the game against Canberra at Robertson Oval on May 20.
His goal is to see the Riverina League jumper highly sought after as players seek to get the best out of themselves.
“I was definitely rapt to get the call and we’ll try our best to get back on the winners’ list for the league,” Orton, a passionate fan of rep footy, said.
“You’re testing yourself, and playing at a better level.
“I’ve always thought that it’s good to go and play with other people and see how they prepare – and you learn off them, especially training with them for a couple of weeks prior to the game.”
Orton has previously coached the Griffith Swans and has had representative playing experience for Loddon Valley in Victoria, where he was captain, and also for NSW.
“I’ve always put my hand up,” he said.
“You never know if you’re going to be playing footy for a long time, and you want to just enjoy it and compare yourself to other people – that’s just how I feel,” he said.
Orton takes over from Coolamon coach Matt Hard who stood down after three years in charge, including two big wins against Victorian opposition before last year’s upset loss to the Hume League.
He hopes with some new faces and a good mix of youth and experience, he can oversee the side’s return to where it was a couple of years ago.
“That’s the one thing that obviously our league’s got – some good experience, we’ve got some good players come into this league,” he said.
“But we’ve also got some young kids up and coming.”
RFNL president Rob Ash declared Orton “an outstanding representative person who has a lot of passion for the league.
Ash congratulated Hard on his contribution to the RFNL and said the league is committed to making sure Orton has every chance to succeed.
“Ultimately, we didn’t get all the players we wanted (last year),” Ash said.
“This year we’ll be stringent with our laws about representation, especially the travelling players. The clubs have been notified that they need to be available for selection.”
The Farrer League representative side, under new coach Ryan Forsyth, is taking on Ovens and King League in Wangaratta on May 20.
