THE youngest Group Nine coach in recent memory yesterday sent a strong warning to his sceptics - don't let the age fool you.Gundagai's rookie captain-coach James Smart has declared his tender age of 21 will be no factor in his efforts to resurge the downtrodden Tigers for the coming season.Squashing any doubts that his age and lack of coaching experience will be a disadvantage to the Tigers, the remarkable halfback is adamant he holds the key to success."The age thing, it's not a big deal to me at all, I'm way too passionate about the Tigers to let that get in the way," he said."People have said that I'll be coaching my mates but I'm certainly not planning on taking any backwards steps."The main thing my mind is focused on is to keep moving forward and get the boys off to a good start. "In saying that, I want to be just as successful as everyone else wants me to be." Making a profound impact in Toyota Cup games for both the Canberra Raiders and Cronulla Sharks, Smart has returned to his junior club with renewed zeal and the highest of intentions."I only spent two or three years away from the the Tigers so I certainly know what the town is about and the expectations there," he said."Coaching is something I've always wanted to have a go at and I'm definitely not looking at this as a one-off thing."Every side sets the goal of making the semi-finals and we're no different there. "We need to concentrate on our coaching and trying to build the strongest team possible with what we have, and the only way we can do that is to look at what we have locally first and not try to buy four or five players every year to fill the holes."Smart said that looking back on previous seasons had clarified for him the areas that need to be improved both on and off the field."I think in the last few seasons we've been slow to get going and we've lost a lot of games at the back end of the matches," he said.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading