Richard Skellern has returned as Waratahs head coach seven years after guiding the club to an undefeated premiership.
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Skellern has been unveiled as the club’s new coach for 2018.
He’s excited to take the role up again after being involved with the club for the best part of the last 20 years.
“It is going to be good,” Skellern said.
“I’ve had a lot of success in my time and would like to impart some of the knowledge.”
He emphasised it will be a team approach with 2017 coach Angus Macleod coming on as the forwards coach while Chris Doyle will be the backs coach.
“We have some really good guys on,” Skellern said.
“Angus couldn’t do it full-time and we really struggled to find some to do it, but I am really happy to be the name and help out.”
However after coming on board with the re-addition of rugby union to the Southern Sports Academy plus family commitments he expects it will be his last.
Waratahs president Warwick Grant is confident Skellern is the right man for the job.
“He’s been fairly involved in the last couple of years,” Grant said. “He does a good job as coach.”
New faces Mick Davis and Angus Stevenson will coach second grade, John Serong remains third grade coach while James Daley will again coach the women’s sevens team but Holly Stephens to take a bigger coaching role.
With the club set to celebrate their 60th year in 2018, Skellern is hoping for another big season.
He expects they will have a similar team to the one that went down to Leeton in the grand final, but their halfback ranks have taken a hit.
Tom Hallam is moving to Canberra for university while Rhys Greentree has also left.
There are doubts over Joe Mullany as well after he moved to Tumut for work
Skellern is hopeful of adding a few new players, but the club is yet to lock anything in.
“There are some very good footballers who have moved back to town who may or may play,” he said.
“But we are shaping up to have a couple of very good teams across the park.”