Gil Hoare, 92, was Turvey Park's inaugural captain-coach when the club formed back in 1954.

He returned to Wagga from Melbourne on Friday to present the club with his Turvey Park blazer from his coaching days.

Hoare was also proudly wearing a gold watch, one that he was presented by the club for leading the club to the Central Riverina premiership in 1955.

He will speak to the playing group before they take on the Lions.

"I had a fantastic time at Turvey," Hoare recalled.

"We had under 13, under 16s and then a bunch of boys that averaged from 15 to 19 and no men other than me.

"The 13s and 16s were in their own grade in Wagga. The 13s had a drawn grand final and there was no replay. The 16s were premiers and the older team were premiers as well, unbeaten right through the season."

Hoare, who played three years with Richmond's under 18s, spent 20 years in Wagga while he was in the air force.

He played with Wagga from 1943 to 1953, until Turvey Park 'wooed' him away.

"The new club at Turvey Park was starting up and I got approached by one of their committeemen and he said we're looking for a coach, we're going to advertise it this week in The Advertiser," he said.

"But he said the committee have decided the one they're after is you, so if you're interested and apply for the job, I can tell you you'll get it. I talked it over with my wife and agreed to take it on."

Hoare said there was a lot more involved in the job than he expected.

"When I signed up I don't think I realised I was going to be coaching the under 13s and under 16s. I had three teams," he said.

Turvey Park's 1955 premiership that Hoare led them to prompted the club to go on to bigger and better things. It was that ambition that ultimately saw Hoare step aside.

"Turvey with these young boys were becoming young men, they were unbeaten that season, so the committee decided they needed to go to stronger football," he said.

"They approached the Wagga League and they said no, they had a full book at the time, so they approached the South West District League. To me, we had this young side and football there was much bigger and harder than previous so I advised the committee I wouldn't be applying for the job. I probably wouldn't have got it anyway because they had decided to bring in Melbourne coaches with a big name to draw."

Hoare has a rich football history in the Riverina. At Wagga, he was the man to nominate becoming the Tigers at Wagga, after a colours clash with Henty in the Albury and District League.

He also coached Milbrulong for two seasons and was an assistant coach at The Rock before returning to play at Wagga and Turvey Park.

Turvey Park's current day co-coach Mark Carroll is looking forward to Hoare's involvement on Saturday.

"It's pretty special," Carroll said.

"The history of any club is what you play for. It really is and the players need to know that. The history of a place is what it is. The players playing now are playing for the ones that played before them and the ones to come after them.

"The club's bigger than any player."

Carroll, hails from Ganmain and achieved a huge amount at that club. He will come up against his old club on Saturday as opposition senior coach for the first time.

"It's a bit funny, I suppose. I try not to really think about that," he said.

"Ganmain is a fantastic club. The most successful club in the RFL. They're obviously travelling really well at the minute. They kicked nine goals in one quarter last week against Mango so that tells you they're going well.

"It's going to be a challenge for us, but it's all good."

READ MORE