Ex-Brumbies coach to put the fun back into Southside rugby

A FORMER Brumbies coach will bring decades of experience in one of the country’s best rugby systems to the Far North, with Tony Doherty locked in to coach Southside Crusaders in 2022.

And he wants to bring the fun and excitement back to the game.

Doherty is a product of the Far North, having previously been involved with the now defunct Cities club, but his rugby journey took him to the nation’s capital where he worked with arguably the best Super

Rugby franchise in the country.

While coaching at clubs like Norths/Uni and Queanbeyan, Doherty was regularly working with and alongside coaches at the Brumbies.

He also coached the Brumbies’ Super W team, providing a deeper insight into his role as a coach and developing a deeper appreciation for everyone involved in the game.

Now, he’s bringing all of that experience to Edmonton, where he will coach a Crusaders club boasting many familiar names from his time at Cities two decades ago.

“I’d kept in touch with a lot of old Cities boys, who are at Southside now, and when an opportunity came to move back to Cairns for work reached out with them,” he said.

While on-field glory drives most people involved in any sport, Doherty said he would also be motivated by the goal of getting more people to enjoy rugby.

It’s what is missing from much rugby, and Doherty said the flow-on effects would help the sport as a whole.

“We get so focused on game plans when people just want to show up, play and enjoy the game,” he said. “If they’re enjoying it, you bring more people to the game.

“That’s what rugby is trying to rediscover now, the passion and enjoyment.

“I’ve been lucky to have the opportunities I’ve had down south. It opens your eyes to what they do that makes the game bigger and better.”

Southside president John Robinson was understandably excited to have locked in Doherty for 2022.

After dominating the 2019 regular season, but falling short in the finals, Southside didn’t field a team in 2020. They returned in 2021 but were on the fringe of the top four.

Now, they might have the pieces to put together another finals run, with Doherty’s appointment sure to attract plenty of interested players.

“Having someone like Doc is a whole new thing for us,” Robinson said.

“We’ve usually run with a head coach, but where he’s been, there’s forwards coaches, backs coaches, tacticians.

“He’ll bring a lot of that to our club, and we’ll get as many coaches as we can involved.”