Sean Hayne appears to adhere to the belief that a family which plays together, stays together.
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When the former Bulldogs veteran oversees his debut match as Gunnedah coach in Sunday’s Group 4 first division season opener against Collegian, he will rely heavily on his sons, hooker Callum and halfback Marcus, to make it a winning start.
There are multiple elements to this family league story that make it intriguing.
For starters, Sean played first grade for the Bulldogs for what he said was “10 years or so” after joining the club in the late 1980s, with the former back-rower part of its 1998 first division premiership team.
Hayne’s current role is his first official involvement with the club since his playing days.
In him, Gunnedah has acquired a winner.
He steered North Tamworth’s under-18 side to consecutive premierships over the past two seasons, having previously only coached junior sides.
Marcus, 18, who is taking a gap year after completing Year 12 at Farrer Memorial Agricultural College last year, was a key component in those premierships triumphs, and there will be much interest in how he adapts to first division.
Certainly, Gunnedah, which laboured to fourth last season with eight wins and seven losses, hopes father and son will sprinkle winning dust in Bulldogs land.
Callum, 21, played his debut season for Gunnedah last year, predominantly in the halves.
He has been named at hooker for Sunday’s away trip to Tamworth, but his availability will hinge on how he pulls up from Group 4 Under-23 representative duties on Saturday. Despite this rich sporting narrative, Sean did not seem keen on adding extra flourishes to it.
“You could say that,” he said when told the experience of coaching his two sons must be a exciting. “We’ll see how it goes.”
Sean described Callum, who played first grade for North Tamworth before joining the Bulldogs, as a strong defender with “ a bit of speed” in keeping with his former fullback role.
He said Marcus played like a traditional halfback. And he summed up his coaching philosophy this way: “Have some pride in your own performance, show respect to the opposition and try your hardest.”
He also wants his players to be accountable for their performance and their actions, “on and off the field”. “You’ve got to have discipline to win and discipline when you train,” he said. “If you start taking shortcuts in training, you end up doing it on the field.”
Joining Marcus Hayne on Under-23 rep duty at the Greater Northern Tigers Championships in Armidale on Saturday will be Bulldogs teammates Dylan Lake and Lachlan King.
