AFTER back-to-back Group Seven grand final appearances, the Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs under 18s side will have a fresh face on the sidelines in 2019.
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Scott D'Ombrain has been named the club’s under 18s coach, after Peter Leffley, who steered the club to the under 18s premiership in 2017, decided to step away for the Bill Andriske Oval based side.
While D'Ombrain, who started his rugby league career in Forbes in 1981, has a wealth of knowledge, he hopes to pass it onto his exciting young core.
After starting in Group 11 with the Forbes Magpies, D'Ombrain had stints with St Christophers (the feeder club for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs) and Orange CYMS in Group 10 before joining the Bulldogs pack in 2014, when he and his family moved to Mollymook Beach.
During his time in the blue, red and white, D'Ombrain has played both first and reserve grade while also coaching in the junior ranks.
“Last year I helped my youngest son Blake and his Sussex Inlet Panthers under 13s into the grand final at WIN Stadium,” D'Ombrain said.
“As we fell one game sort of winning it, I re-committed to the side, to try and take them that little bit further.
“And when it looked like my older son Harrison and his under 18s Bulldogs weren’t going to have a coach, I put my hand up.
“I thought I was perfect for the role, as I’ve seen this playing group play since they were all 12 and 13 years of age and know each of their strengths.”
While D'Ombrain admits he has a number of holes to fit into this year’s squad, with key pieces from last year’s side Tarje Whitford, Eli Humble and Oscar Fitzpatrick moving on, as well as the unavailability of both Riley Wooden and Luke Millard (both Canberra Raiders), he knows he has the side that can make some noise in 2019.
“Milton-Ulladulla always has a strong pedigree in the under 18s, shown by back-to-back grand final appearances, and this year’s team is no different,” D'Ombrain said.
“Once we can integrate the guys coming up form the under 16s with the remaining players from last season’s grand final side, I think we will be very competitive.
“Players such as Jarred Hendrie, Dan Fisher and Lleyton Roach have all been training the house down and should be in for massive years.”
To ensure his squad one step further this season, D'Ombrain has implemented his own approach to the training.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m coaching under 13s or under 18s, my approach is still the same,” he said.
“I’m all about empowering my players to be the best versions of themselves they can be – by me driving that point, I hope it can wear off on the boys and hopefully see them all buy in to the system.
“Confidence is so important in footy and I’m going to ensure all my players play with it – while ensuring I support everything decision they make on the field.
“We’ll aim to play an exciting brand of footy, which will move teams around a lot, while also trying to exploit our opposition’s weaknesses – it’s a long season, which we will have to grind week in, week out to get where we want to be.
“I’m really looking forward to the challenge ahead.”