Jack Cameron has always wanted to coach.
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The 24-year-old recalled fondly the impression his junior coaches had left on him while speaking to the Leader, and said he would love the opportunity to have the same impact.
So, when Brett Jarrett elected to step down from the role with the Dungowan Cowboys' first grade outfit after the 2023 season, Cameron knew his opportunity had come.
"I've always wanted to do it," Cameron said.
"My coaches, I look up to them so much. They helped me out along the way, so I want to help and give back to the younger players."
He will, however, not do so alone: the Cowboys prop will share the coaching role with Kieran Croft.
Croft last played for Dungowan in 2022, but a ruptured bicep ended his season early and convinced him to hang up the boots for good.
"I was interested to give [coaching] a crack one day," Croft said.
"So I just thought I might have something different to offer this year, why not give it a go? There's a good bunch of blokes at Dungowan, it's a good little club and community."
While Cameron has never coached before, Croft has had a smattering of experience in the past.
Along with a little bit of time spent coaching junior sides, Croft used to help his father out coaching back when he lived in Windsor.
"I've played pretty much my whole career, pretty much up until the last year," he said.
"[Coaching] was sort of the next step."
Both coaches expect to keep roughly 90-95 per cent of their rostered players from the 2023 season. There will be a small handful of changes, but Croft and Cameron expect to be able to work with a squad which is largely the same as this year's.
The consensus after the 2023 season is that both injuries and a handful of inconsistent performances in crucial games took a toll on Dungowan's first grade hopes.
This year, Cameron said, he and Croft will look to address both issues.
"Brett and all the coaching staff this year did an awesome job," Cameron said.
"They couldn't have done much more this year, it was just injuries ... as long as we can get everyone fit and running and on the same page.
