SEA Swift Northern Pride has announced Joe O’Callaghan will be the new head coach for the 2015 Intrust Super Cup season.
O’Callaghan, the Pride’s assistant coach last season, replaces Jason Demetriou who has joined the North Queensland Cowboys as their new assistant coach.
He played a key role as part of Demetriou’s coaching staff in helping the club to an historic treble in 2014 as the club won the Intrust Super Cup minor premiership and premiership, and NRL State Championship.
O’Callaghan, who has previously had assistant coach roles at Easts Tigers and Queensland Maroons Under 18s, has also been high performance coordinator for the Pride Academy program, as well as FNQ High Schools Rugby League coordinator for Education Queensland.
He said he was delighted to be given the opportunity to coach the Pride squad in their 2015 Intrust Super Cup premiership defence.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be named as head coach,” O’Callaghan said.
“It’s a proud club with a successful culture, and I’m confident we’ll once again have a finals-bound squad,” he said.
“I know there’s a bit of pressure there, with the success we’ve had this year, and losing a few players, but in reality we lost seven players after winning the minor premiership in 2013, and went on strongly the following year, so that’s not a concern for me.
“I’m really looking forward to not only helping to bring further success for the team on the field, but also to develop our great game throughout far north Queensland.”
O’Callaghan said he would be looking to sign backrowers before the start of the season, after the departure of Tyrone McCarthy and Blake Leary to the UK Super League and NRL respectively.
“It’s no secret that the back row is a target for us in regards to new signings.
“We can work towards securing new faces, and we’re already in talks with players who have NRL experience about joining us for 2015.
“However, I expect the nucleus of our 2014 squad to be fresh and ready to go again next year.”
O’Callaghan said he would continue to instill the winning culture established by Demetriou, but would be his own man.
“It would be silly of me to just be a robot and copy what JD (Jason Demetriou) has put in place.
“But I have been part of the club for a couple of years, so I’ll be looking to keep the culture we’ve built, and look to freshen up a few things where I see it is necessary.”
Pride Chief Executive Officer Brock Schaefer said the recruitment process for the head coach role was a tough one, which attracted outstanding candidates from across the world.
“I promised Pride fans at the start of this process that we would leave no stone unturned to find the best man for the job,” Schaefer said.
“This included not only looking for suitable candidates around Australia, but also expanding our search internationally,” he said.
“We received applications from around Australia and the UK, which shows the standing of the Northern Pride in the global rugby league community.
“But, in Joe, I have no doubt that we’ve found the best.
“Joe ticked all the boxes we want from our new head coach, and the bonus will be the continuity that his appointment will bring to the team.
The Pride will officially start pre-season on Saturday 22 November with its traditional induction day, followed by gym and field sessions beginning Monday November 24.
