He coached in the NRL and helped develop some of the game's biggest stars, and now Garth Brennan is looking to claim Country Championships glory.
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Brennan will lead the Newcastle Rebels' title defence in 2024.
Last year, the Rebels defeated the Western Rams in the semi-finals on the way to an emphatic Country Championships triumph.
Coach Adam Bettridge then stepped down to take on a club coaching role and the Newcastle Rugby League pulled off a coup by appointing Brennan.
Brennan, who steered the Gold Coast Titans for 40 games across 2018 and 2019, arrives as a highly-credentialed candidate.
He previously claimed lower-grade premierships with Penrith, under 20s (2013) and NSW Cup (2014, 2017), as well as an NRL State Championship (2017) while he also coached the NSW under 18s State of Origin side in 2012.
The Newcastle Rugby League club competition is loaded with big names - former NRL player Brock Lamb spearheaded the Rebels last year - and Brennan is hopeful he can get as many as possible onboard for 2024.
"I've had interest from high-profile players who haven't wanted to play in the past and also people reaching out to me who want to be considered to be part of it," Brennan told ACM.
"And that's what you want, you want it to be a prestigious team and not just pick and choose if you play or not.
"I won't pick players who don't want to play, but I'd like to think the majority of players want to be part of it. We want the best squad we can and we want to represent Newcastle the best we can."
The Western Rams have never won a Country Championships but one of the strongest sides in a number of years reached the semi-finals last year.
They were beaten 46-18 at that stage by the Rebels, who went on to down Riverina 49-16 in the final.
Should Western and the Rebels meet at any point again in 2024, there's the potential for a reunion with ex-PMP star Blake Ferguson.
The former Australian international returned home last year and was a huge hit with the Wellington Cowboys.
He had considered sticking with Wellington for 2024 but instead made the move to Newcastle club Kurri Kurri.
The Western Rams are yet to formally announce their coach for 2024.
Forbes' Cameron Greenhalgh led one of the strongest Western sides in a number of years to the semi-finals in 2023 but didn't put his hand up for reappointment.
Greenhalgh will instead be focused on revitalising the Forbes Magpies after returning as coach for the 2024 Peter McDonald Premiership.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
Josh Callinan
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
