Derek Hay and Blake Dunn both say they are 'honoured' to co-coach Gundagai in 2023

The respected pair have been appointed as the new co-coaches of Gundagai for their premiership defence in the 2023 Group Nine season.

Hay, 25, will step up into his first senior coaching job alongside the experienced Dunn, who last coached Brothers 10 years ago.

Fresh from leading Gundagai to the premiership in an undefeated season earlier this month, the pair will now get to work in a bid to ensure the Tigers remain at the top of the Group Nine competition.

Hay said it was an honour to coach Gundagai.

"I obviously wasn't expecting it to be honest," Hay said.

"I was approached probably six weeks ago by my old man (Marty) and our president David Tout. They said Nathan (Rose) is not going to do the job because of his own job in Wagga, he's got to stay in Wagga, which is fair enough, so we want you and Blake to do it and I said geez.

"I pretty much just said, give me until after the grand final. I want to get this comp won and done first and then I'll give you a decision.

"It means the world to me, I'm born and bred here. I'm a local junior. Not only do I play footy for Gundagai, I get to go out there every week with a heap of my best mates, Jakey Elphick, Royce Tout, (Luke Berkey), they're all my best mates. I've grown up with the blokes.

"Even guys like Damien Willis and Dunny, when I was 17, 18, playing first grade, when I first went into grade under Cameron Woo and James Smart, I've been mates with those guys for nearly 10 years now so to coach the club is a pretty big honour."

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Hay left Gundagai to pursue his rugby league dream and spent a season at Wollongong, two at Canberra and then suffered a horrific broken leg in his first game at South Newcastle in 2019.

He returned to the Tigers in 2020 and has now established himself as one of the premier halves of the competition.

Hay coached Gundagai's Weissel Cup under 18 team for two seasons in 2020-21 and is now looking forward to taking the reins of first grade with Dunn.

"I've done a little bit of coaching but captain-coaching is a whole new level," he said.

"I've always wanted to captain-coach, deep down probably, but I always thought it would be elsewhere. Last year I had a couple of phone calls about clubs enquiring to play but I said I've got too good of a job at home, it's too hard to leave unless I go as captain-coach and they already had coaches locked in, which is fair enough, but I've always wanted to do it and for the first time to do it at my local club is pretty special.

"(Dunn) and I get along really good. I've known Dunny for close to 10 years now and he's got a very, very good football brain. He's a very calm head, even in what most people consider stressful situations on the football field, he's very level-headed.

"The best thing about Blake is, even though he's never coached Gundagai, people like Berks have really valued Blake's opinion. He's always been a leader. Especially for me, being my first coaching gig, it's going to be a lot easier with someone like Blake."

Dunn moved to Wagga back in 2010 to coach Brothers. He spent three years in that position and five years with the club before joining Gundagai in 2015.

He has not looked back since, even furthering his coaching experience with a stint in charge of the Group Nine representative team along the way.

The 34-year-old revealed some time helping James Luff with the Riverina team earlier this year reignited the coaching fire inside him.

"I'm excited. It's obviously a big honour to coach that club and represent the community. I'm looking forward to it," Dunn said.

"It's a great club, built on really strong foundations and a lot of hard work from blokes like James Smart, Cameron Woo and more recently Adam Perry and Luke Berkrey. It's a good role I'm walking into.

"(Coaching) probably wasn't front of mine for quite some time, just being busy with work and family and what not. Luffy asked me to help him out with the Riverina team at the start of the year and I really enjoyed it and I guess it gave me that itch back to jump in.

"When the opportunity came up and it was offered to us, I was honoured and quite pleased too.

"Derek's a great bloke, a good mate and his footy's come a long way over the last couple of years too. I'm fortunate to be able to do it with him."

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