Group 4: Brett Jarrett signs on as first grade coach for Dungowan Cowboys

Brett and his wife, Alex, welcomed a baby daughter, Charlotte, in August last year. Both work as teachers, and this season Jarrett was a key part of the Dungowan Cowboys side which progressed to the Group 4 first grade grand final.

With so much already on his plate as a father, educator, and leader within the Dungowan team, Jarrett was understandably hesitant to accept yet another responsibility.

But when outgoing Cowboys coach, Luke Taylor, approached him about taking over the role in 2023, Jarrett couldn't find it in himself to say no.

"[Luke] saw me towards the end of the year and let me know after training that he was going to step aside," Jarrett said.

"We just had a bit of a discussion about it, and I was a little bit reluctant about it at the start. But he said that he thought I was the best fit for the job and encouraged me to apply."

Having previously coached Greater Northern Tigers teams in the Andrew Johns Cup, Jarrett is no stranger to the task.

However, 2023 will mark his first season in charge of a senior side. But instead of feeling apprehensive, Jarrett is "actually pretty excited" about the challenge that now lies before him.

And given the success the Cowboys enjoyed under Taylor this year, Jarrett does not intend to rock the boat.

"Luke's been through a lot of the systems, he's up to date with a lot of the coaching practices," he said.

"I'm pretty happy to follow with what he's put into place, and my own little twists on those."

When he wasn't missing games through injury in 2022, Jarrett also captained Dungowan.

He intends to continue in that role next year, but some of the physical niggles have persisted and he said he will likely miss the early rounds of 2023 to get his body right and finalise his coaching systems.

Jarrett believes his experience playing age group football for the Knights, Rabbitohs, and Storm, along with his teaching career, with feed positively into his new role with the Cowboys.

"Obviously [teaching] helps with the way you communicate with people and being a leader of people is something I'm pretty familiar with," he said.

"You've got to identify that people communicate in different ways."

Despite Jarrett's initial uncertainty about taking on the job, Alex had no such doubts.

"She's pretty supportive," Jarrett said.

"She's been with me along the way with all my endeavours in footy, and she's happy to support me [in coaching].

"It's going to be a little bit time-consuming compared to just playing, but she knows I enjoy the coaching side of it and she'll be right there next to me."

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