The 4th of July will see the RugbyWA U18 State Boys team fly out to compete in the U18 Academy Series against the Brumbies and the Rebels.
The team is comprised of 24 players, carefully selected through consistent performance in their school competitions as well as club. The boys are being lead by the following team:
Head Coach: Colin Philips
Forwards Coach: Damien Elton
Backs Coach: Daniel Whiston
Physio: Josh Hook
Team manager: Sam Nunn
Dan Whiston (Backs Coach)
Background
I started out coaching as an assistant coach to my son’s U9 rugby team 10 years ago. For the past 3 and a half years I’ve been coaching senior’s Premier grade rugby in Perth, as well as being an assistant coach to Rugby WA’s state U16 and U18 teams.
The best part of coaching is helping players to continue to develop their rugby skills and then seeing how that contributes towards the team playing better rugby. From a team perspective, identifying those aspects of the game that can have the biggest impact on your team’s success and then coaching to help achieve that improvement is very rewarding.
Update on the u18's backline
The backline has been training really well. There is a lot of very talented rugby players in the squad, and the team have been working really hard on improving their core rugby skills. The coaches have placed a strong focus at training on being able to execute the basic rugby skills really well, which will hopefully transfer into the games where the team will look to play some high quality and expansive rugby. Whilst training has gone well, the team are now looking forward to playing these 2 games against the Brumbies and Rebels U18 teams.
Advice to aspiring coaches
I think two of the more important aspects of coaching relates to communication and ensuring your training sessions are really well prepared. It is vitally important to plan your training sessions, so that you are creating an environment where the players are enjoying their rugby and they can continually develop their skills. The more effectively you can communicate as a coach, the better your training sessions will be, which should assist the players becoming better rugby players and teammates.
Damien Elton (Forwards Coach)
Background
I never thought I would be a coach when I was playing. I sort of fell into it. I helped out bit at the club around set piece , then a mate asked me to coach the forwards in premier grade and from there it took off. When I commit to something it usually consumes me and I think about it 24/7. Now it's about becoming a better coach. Having an open mind and listening and chatting to other coaches and their thoughts on the game is one of the best tools for me . Commitment and passion to be better has got me where I am today.
What do you enjoy most about coaching?
Seeing players better themselves not only as rugby players but as human beings. Whether it's a junior player working on his catch pass or a senior player working on set piece, to see them progress and achieve their goals is why I do it.
Update on the U18 Forwards
We started with around 20 odd forwards in the squad , so competition has been on for spots. I've been surprised with some of the boys' skills and leadership in the group. Some really talented players. The Commitment to be all over our systems getting down early has put us in good stead for the tour.
Advice for future aspiring coaches
You have to have a passion for it. It's tough coaching on cold winter nights. You need it. Knowledge . The more you can speak to other coaches and players the more you will learn about the game and broaden your outlook.
Get to know the team's Head Coach, Colin Philips, here:
