HE is a self-confessed rugby tragic but Neil McDonald brings a wealth experience that has seen him coach in Sydney, Newcastle and England during a 30-year career.
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Now the 50-year-old has set his sights on a new challenge - lifting the Mudgee Wombats off the Blowes Clothing Cup canvas in 2015.
The former Northern Suburbs, Drummoyne and Newcastle Wildfires mentor is the Wombats' first XV coach for next year.
He takes over from Justin Sutherland who stepped down from the post having had two wins next to his name in the 2014 season.
McDonald is the first person to admit he doesn't know much about the Wombats nor the Blowes Cup competition, but as he continues to dig deeper into the burrow, he knows what is required.
"It's a whole new ball game for me. I don't know the style of play the opposition play, I will just work out how to adjust to it and [get] the boys to adjust to it," McDonald said.
Assisting McDonald in 2015 will be Tom Flynn and new recruit Uarotafu Setu - commonly known as Rota.
Setu is a huge coup for the Wombats having been selected in Queensland Country's National Rugby Championship squad.
"Hopefully I can bring a style the boys can enjoy and adapt to," McDonald said.
"There is plenty of potential there. We just need to channel them into the right direction and get them used to our defensive systems and our attacking systems. Hopefully we can get that right."
McDonald moved to Mudgee with his family for a bit of a sea change after coaching in Newcastle for the past six years.
He started coaching when he was 20 and hasn't looked back.
He has guided many teams to premierships and country championship success.
His stint coaching a feeder club for English side Leicester Tigers in the early 2000s ranks as one of his highlights.
"I just love the game," he said. "I hurt my knee playing touch football so I had to give the game away but I decided to keep on coaching."
McDonald isn't the only new coach for the Wombats.
This year's first XV manager David Goldring has stepped up to look after the second XV side.
Tim Burgess, who guided the colts to the semi-finals last season, will continue to look after that division with Josh Cookson as his assistant.
McDonald said the Wombats will work together as one unit in 2015.
"All we are trying to do is aim the club to be as one and that will be my catch cry - be as one. All the way from juniors to the seniors - every grade," McDonald said.
"We want to be one, there is no separate groups.
"If we need to be competitive the whole club needs to work together as one."
He also had a message to those players keen to impress the new coach.
"When we start full pre-season training, it will be up to you," he said.
"If you show the right attitude and the intensity at training you have a chance [of playing first grade]. I am opened to anybody as long as they put the effort in at training and on the field."
Wombats' pre-season training will start in early January.
