VAN THE MAN
Former Reds star’s mission to revive Coast club
PALM Beach Currumbin have swooped on former Wallabies forward Van Humphries to return the rugby club to its glory days.
The 41-year-old has signed with the revamped Alleygators as coach and has already got to work on the recruitment front.
Former Bond University prop Alex Holmes, who played in the National Rugby Championship for the North Harbour Rays, leads the key signings. Humphries previously coached at Souths in the Queensland Premier Rugby competition and said PBC could take inspiration from the entertaining Magpies’ charge to the 2015 title.
“We were third-last the year before we won the competition,” he said.
The Alleygators held powerhouse status when they won consecutive premierships in 2011 and 2012 and made the final the following year but have fallen into the midfield in recent seasons.
Humphries said plenty could be learnt from Surfers Paradise, who have not lost a game in two seasons.
“They are a bit of a force to be reckoned with and as a club I guess it’s not only an on-field thing with Surfers Paradise, they are very well run from what I hear,” he said.
“It’s something to aspire to as a club … I don’t feel it is an accident that they are doing well and have done well over the last few years.
“It’s definitely something to aim for at the Gators.”
After growing tired of commuting from the northern Gold Coast to Brisbane, Humphries found the Alleygators to be a good fit with his intentions of moving closer to the border and had little interest in ever coaching against his beloved Magpies.
PBC were in the market for a coach after restructuring their rugby department.
Long-time coach Ryan Roberts has moved into a rugby pathways director position as the club ups its attention on retaining players between the ages of 15 and 19.
Mark Doherty has also moved from president to club rugby co-ordinator, with Ken Jarvis stepping back into the top job. Mike Elliston will lead their women’s program.
Doherty hailed Humphries’ signing as “the cream on top” of their remodelling.