Geoff Sharpe was expecting to step down as coach at Kootingal-Moonbi at the end of the 2020 season.
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However, the same thing that saw the season cancelled has allowed the coach to go around again in 2021.
Sharpe planned to take a step back from the first grade job due to his role as coach of the Australian over-50 men's Oztag coach at the 2021 World Cup.
However, the World Cup has now been postponed for a year, freeing Sharpe for 2021.
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"I was going to stay involved with the club but we were going to try and get a captain-coach," Sharpe said.
Since stepping up from the down defunct second division into first grade, Kooty has claimed a minor premiership in 2018 before making the grand final in 2019 and ultimately going down to North Tamworth.
Whether the Roosters can continue their good form is an unknown for Sharpe.
He doesn't know exactly who will pull on the Kooty strip in 2021 but hopes he can put together a good squad for the season.
"The idea is to get as fit as we can, try and build combinations - that's probably the biggest thing - and pick up a couple interchange front rowers, too," Sharpe said.
Sharpe had a few people in mind to bolster his prop stocks.
One was Trae Cronin, a young front rower moving up from the under 18s competition who "trained really well" before the 2020 Group 4 season was cancelled.
"We'll see who else turns up but I saw Phil Beaton played in the nines and I'm hoping to talk to Vids [Chris Vidler] as well," Sharpe said.
A large contingent of Roosters are expected to turn to support reserve grade coach Paul Noldt who is attempting to complete 100 kilometres on a cross-trainer in support of the Autism Advisory & Support Service on November 21.
Sharpe said it would be a good opportunity to catch-up with club members and lock down some players before starting pre-season training the following week.
Along with being re-appointed as first grade coach, Sharpe will also fill the role of vice-president at Kootingal-Moonbi while Lad Jones returns as president.
Jones will also be an assistant coach for the reserve grade side. Abby Schmiedel and Jeff Faint will coach league tag while Eathan Sherlock will coach the under 18s alongside assistant Nathan Rush.
Ben Jaffrey
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
