Former NRL player Michael Monaghan has come on board as the nib Newcastle Knights NSW Cup Head Coach for the upcoming 2023 season.
A natural halfback and hooker during his playing days, Monaghan spent 14 years at the top level across the NRL and Super League before journeying into the coaching ranks.
With a keen eye for nurturing talent, the new coach spoke about what attracted him to join the Club.
“I've spent the last eight years as a first grade assistant,” Monaghan said.
“It was a role I was really attracted to partly due to the development side of it.
“I spoke to Adam (O’Brien) and he impressed on me that they were looking for someone that was really good at developing young players.
“The head coaching part of it as well, as anyone that has aspirations as a Head Caoch in the NRL will tell you, you probably need to do that time as a Head Coach in the lower grades."
Monaghan first debuted for the Canberra Raiders back in 2001 before moving to Manly in 2004.
He played 95 games with the Sea Eagles, playing in a Grand Final in 2007.
The former half travelled halfway across the world in 2008 to join the Warrington Wolves in the Super League where he would go onto play 167 games.
There he would enjoy a run of Challenge Cup final wins in 2009, 2010 and 2012 plus the Lance Todd trophy for player of the match in '09.
Monaghan would hang up the boots in 2014 before picking up the clipboard as a coach.
“It felt like a natural progression,” Monaghan said.
“Having played hooker and halfback during my career, it probably lends itself to being a coach. You’re that on-field coach a lot of the time.
“Anyone that would have played me would probably have said I would have gone onto coach.
“Having been used to that lifestyle for 14 years as a player to continue that as a coach was attractive aswell. You get used to the comradery of being around a team.”
The new coach will head up the staff in the NSW Cup squad dealing with players in the full-time ranks and on the fringes of first grade.
After an up and down 2022 season which saw over 60 players used across the grade, the NSW Cup team finished in ninth spot on the ladder.
The new coach will look to prepare the players for the rigours of first grade along with improving their own game.
“Quite a few of the Cup boys are training full-time at the moment,” Monaghan continued.
“We also have some part-time guys that train of an evening.
“It’s trying to get that mix of some of those younger guys that are part-time bringing them through but also making sure the guys who train full-time have got an idea of what’s going to be expected from them when they play NSW Cup.”
