Kurt Hancock is renowned as a meticulous operator and it's that approach that can make the difference for the Western Rams men's side this year.
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That's the hope of Western chairman Ross McDermott, who confirmed the former NRL player and highly-respected coach has taken on the Rams' top job for the 2024 Country Championships.
Hancock is a former Western junior coach who won back-to-back Andrew Johns Cup under 16s titles while in 2022 he was the named NSW Country under 18s coach.
During his playing days, he won a Country Championships with Western 2004 and went on to play for the Newcastle Knights the following year.
"He's been a strength of Western Rams programs over the last few years," McDermott said.
"He sets a good standard and he's worked with a lot of the younger players before. He's had experience in the NRL and he knows the western region really well.
"Now we're looking for a positive result."
McDermott said "we haven't achieved what we've wanted" in the senior country championships competition over a number of years.
Last season was one of the most successful in recent history as previous coach Cameron Greenhalgh was able to select some of the best players in the region and lead the Rams to the semi-finals.
There, they were handed a heavy defeated 46-18 by eventual champions, the Newcastle Rebels.
The Rebels are hot favourites for the title again given former NRL coach Garth Brennan will lead them in 2024 and his preliminary squad includes former NRL players Blake Ferguson, Will Smith and Peter Mata'utia.
"That Newcastle area is probably the strongest it's been for a long while," McDermott said.
"I'm not sure if we can do it (beat them) but it really just has to be the proper preparation.
"We're quite confident that he (Hancock) give us all the best opportunity we can have."
The representative weekend, which will pit teams from Group 11, Group 10 and Castlereagh League against each other on February 17, will play a role in selection but Hancock has already got to work.
While McDermott said a focus on youth could be an option given Hancock's previous experience, a number of big names have already joined the PMP for 2024.
Former NRL player Daniel Mortimer, three-time premiership winner Jake Grace and Queensland Cup prop Dylan Kelly are among those signings who weren't part of the competition in 2023.
"The talent's here," McDermott added.
"It's just getting them on the ground and getting them playing ... those (representative) games will help us and give us a few extra players to throw in and the harder it is to make the selections, the better."
The Western team will start its Country Championships campaign against the Greater Northern Tigers at Narromine on Saturday, March 2.
It will be a special day for footy in the region as the match will coincide with a 50-year reunion for the 1974 Western Division Amco Cup-winning side.
"This is the time we have to acknowledge that it's a bit of history of rugby league," McDermott said.
"It brings back great memories for a lot of people and it's good that we're going to acknowledge them.
"They're names that have been thrown around for the last 50 years and it shows that people from the western regions have played that level of football and there's no reason why we can't have another couple come through."
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
