Woolf eyes past glory as key to rebound

INCOMING Tweed Heads coach Ben Woolf wants to tap into the secret behind the club’s golden era as he plots a charge up the Queensland Cup ladder.

Woolf was on Tuesday announced as the 2018 Seagulls coach, having served a fouryear apprenticeship at Gold Coast in the soon-to-be defunct National Youth Competition.

The one-year deal, with an extension option in the club’s favour, is a crucial step forward in his career and the 37-yearold declared himself ready.

Woolf is contracted to the Titans until October 31 but is eager to get the ball rolling on shaping the Seagulls squad, meaning he will be working in his own time for now.

“I have got to meet up with Clarky (Tweed chief executive Scott Clark) obviously in the next couple of days and get our heads around recruitment and what we have retained and what we’re looking at retaining and what we’re looking at bringing in,” he said.

The men from Piggabeen have a mountain to climb after placing 13th of 14 the past two seasons.

Woolf wants to strengthen their ties with the Titans and develop a team around rising local talent, referring to the glory days in which Tweed made two deciders including winning the 2007 premiership.

“There is no secret around them being a low budget club,” he said. “They haven’t got the luxury of their own leagues club and the money coming in, so it’s always going to be challenging for a club like that.

“I think when they had their success in the past was off the back of bringing through good players in their club that stayed at their club and probably stayed for less than what they could have got elsewhere.

“But because they had a strong culture and that around it, that kept those players there and they had success around those players. That’s probably the key to it.”