Eagles President confirms 2024 rugby personnel
The Gungahlin Eagles are delighted to announce a stellar coaching lineup for the 2024 ACT rugby season. Which gets underway with the Eagles U20’s Academy this week at Nicholls.
Locky McCaffrey will remain as head coach after an incredible first year in charge, leading the Eagles to win the John I Dent Cup and taking out the Michael Hickey Trophy for ACT Coach of the Year.
Assisting McCaffrey is an undeniably formidable lineup which includes Matt Giteau and Robbie Coleman.
The Eagles 2024 rugby program will consist of
Director of Rugby – Glenn Carey
1st Grade Head Coach – Locky McCaffrey
1st Grade High Performance – Matt Giteau
1st Grade Assistant (Backs) – Robbie Coleman
1st Grade Assistant (Forwards) – Tim Davis
Women’s Head Coach – Darragh O’Byrne
Women’s S&C Coach – Erica Allen
2nd Grade Head Coach – Sean Connochie
2nd Grade Assistant Coach – Stuart Crew
Colts Head Coach – Nick Edwards
Colts Assistant Coach – Michael Radnedge
3rd Grade Head Coach – Nick Hutchison
4th Grade Head Coach – Leroy O’Sullivan
4th Grade Assistant – David Bode
4th Grade Assistant – Anthony Dawes
Strength & Conditioning Coaches – Adam Rummery & Colin Kelley
Eagles Academy Coach (U20s) – Robbie Coleman
Eagles Talent Centre Coach (U13s – U16s) – Kane Mangin
Gungahlin Eagles President Trent Pollard is thrilled to have secured a coaching lineup that is full to the brim with experience, professionalism, energy and strong values.
“2023 was obviously a fantastic year for everyone involved at the club, but now it’s about building on that success and using the momentum and lessons learnt for future years”
“Locky is a superb coach and a natural leader, he’s developed our players and given our club an edge that has made us super competitive across the grades. Having him locked in for next year is a big milestone for our club and particularly our playing group”
“We’re fortunate to have an abundance of good coaches at the Eagles, and now we have the opportunity for our future coaches to learn under Locky, Robbie, Gits and Glenny. Getting these decisions made early and having good people in the mix has allowed the Board to properly plan our personnel for years to come and be strategic in developing coaches to have sustained success”
Matt Giteau will return as our Skills and High Performance coach in 2024, after recently announcing his professional rugby retirement and settling back into life in Canberra last year.
Glenn Carey will continue to lead our rugby program, as he has done for a few years now. Glenn’s coaching experience and deep understanding of the game and our club put him in good stead to ensure the program is run professionally and caters to all players.
Darragh O’Byrne has proven himself to be a highly talented rugby coach with the Eagles women’s program over the last two years. Darragh is committed to growing the women’s program and continuing on their journey to constant improvement and success. The Eagles look forward to more announcements regarding the women’s program throughout the off-season, including player and coaching additions.
Sean Connochie is a favourite son of the Gungahlin Eagles and will bring a whole new level of detail and attacking prowess to the premier grades, and will work with 2023 Club Person of the Year Stuart Crew, who has thoroughly earned a position coaching premier rugby. There looks to be exceptional depth growing across the grades for next year and the club is certain that our 2nd Grade team will receive coaching that develops players and creates competition for spots.
The Colts program will see two former club coaches, Nick Edwards and Michael Radnedge, make their long-awaited return to the Eagles. Both have tremendous experiences as rugby coaches and have a sound understanding and strong passion for player development and team culture. With a strong intake of Colts players from the Eagles U18s, Daramalan College, and various other states and regions, we look forward to seeing our Colts go further in 2024 and push deep into finals.
The Red Squad’s 2023 success is set to continue with both Nick Hutchison and Leroy O’Sullivan committed to the 3rd and 4th Grade respectively. Some additional coaches will be added to the squad throughout the preseason and we are hopeful of more silverware in 3rd, 4th, and potentially 5th Grade in 2024.
Locky McCaffrey says this is a perfectly balanced coaching lineup that will genuinely cater to all players across the club, including our women, colts, and red squad players.
“This group gives us a good spread of coaching for the preseason and our next John I Dent Cup campaign”
“2023 has been fantastic and I’ve loved every minute with everyone who played a part, and now it’s super exciting to be taking our club to new heights for the long term with this great list of dedicated coaches”
“Nick Edwards is an awesome addition to our program and he’ll no doubt have his hands full with lots of talent next year. He is a great person and has an excellent rugby brain and I know the younger players in our club will love having him as a coach”
“The academy and our new talent centre which will be coached by Robbie, Nick and Kane Mangin is a great additional and I look forward to working closely with them and the players to make them future 1st graders and professional rugby players”
“Having Tim Davis and Stu Crew working on our set piece excites me. We’ve covered all bases on-field, and also have a really strong connection to the history of our club through our coaches”
More announcements will be made soon with additional rugby, administrative personnel and 2024 pre-season training starting on the 7th November.
If you’re interested in joining the Eagles as a player, volunteer, sponsor or supporter, you can drop us a line on social media or reach out to someone within the club to start a conversation.