Familiar names return to take on Cup coaching challenge

“I have absolutely loved it, I have really enjoyed the last couple of years as an assistant coach at the Bears and I learnt what the club was about and the culture,” Burt said.

“Now to be able to be a head coach and – I have three very good coaches with me who are doing a lot for that Cup side and are absolutely loving every moment of it.

“I have said it before, I feel very lucky and privileged to be in this position.”

As the new coach at the Magpies, Hunt has moved into the Cup role after successfully guiding the club’s under 18 side to the state title last year, winning the Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup premiership in his first year in a coaching role.

“I had a really good firsthand experience coaching the (Auswide Bank) Mal Meninga Cup team last year, but knew the goal for me was always to step up in levels and age groups,” Hunt said.

“I was just really excited by the opportunity when it presented itself to take on the Cup job itself and obviously to remain at the club that I played with a couple of years ago and coached at last year.

“I'm really excited for what's to come this year; we have got a good bunch of boys and just looking every session to share what I've picked up as a player trying to help these young kids come from and get better themselves.”

Having played under him at the Broncos, Wayne Bennett has been a key mentor for Hunt as he transitioned into coaching and the Dolphins coach also has a big influence on new Redcliffe coach Te’o, who has moved from the Redcliffe Dolphins Hastings Deering Colts side to Cup this year.

Te’o guided the Dolphins to a Colts grand final appearance last season and was looking forward to what the year would bring with the Cup side.

“It's been a good preseason so far, we’ve got a lot of new faces to the club through the NRL affiliation and obviously, some new guys to our club as well to the Redcliffe Dolphins, so I am pretty happy,” Te’o said.

Now in his second year at the helm of the Ipswich Jets, Cross said he learnt a lot from his first season in charge in Cup and said while coaching was not the right move for all former players, his journey into the role came as a natural progression.

“I felt like I was a student of the game while I was playing, I was always trying to get better as a player and understand my role and other players' roles and why we did these things," Cross said. 

"And I really like it as well, it's in my blood. I like helping people, especially in that team environment, love being part of the team and contributing to a team.

"It is a bit of a calling and it's a good way of being able to stay in the game you love and give back. But if you can derive a life out of it, it's a good opportunity to do it as well.”

One thing the former players-turned-coaches had in common was positive experiences with their own coaches during their playing days which sparked the inspiration to join their ranks. 

“I had really good coaches and I know I wouldn't have had my career as an NRL player and State of Origin without the good coaches that supported me and believed in me," Cross said.

"I have just got to mirror or replicate what those good coaches did for me and for other players and hopefully a lot of those players under my tutelage can have a great NRL careers and go on and fulfil their potential,” Cross said.

Te’o said while the pull to join the coaching ranks came late to him, once the idea was in his head, he was on the path to be part of the clipboard crew.

“It came on really late, I never ever wanted to be a coach, I never thought I'd be a coach, but I sort of I started to feel a little bit of a calling, a little bit of responsibility,” Te’o said.

“I think the fact that I've had a great career in terms of travelling the world and I felt like I could give a lot to younger players and create a good environment; that is was really what happened and I had a couple of meetings with Wayne and it kicked off and then I was on.

“So now I'm in it and I sometimes think about how fast this happened; I don't know how I got here, but I am enjoying it.” 

For Hunt, it was a similar desire to share his experience provide a constructive environment for his players to develop.

“Every bit of experience, whether it's been good, bad or neutral is helping (my coaching),” Hunt said.

“What I use my experience for, especially when it comes to coaching now, is that I can trust what I'm seeing is either okay or not okay and I can trust that what I've experienced as a player can either prepare the team well or not prepare the team well.

“And I guess having that knowledge base that I've garnered over the 18 years at the professional level I feels gives me a really good position to make a good impact at Souths this year.”

The afternoon. 

Hostplus Cup coaches for 2023

*Statistics courtesy of Brad Tallon

The women's BMD Premiership - with former Super League Man of Steel winner Adrian Vowles at the helm of Brisbane Tigers - also kicks off tomorrow, with the first game seeing Wynnum Manly Seagulls take on new club in the competition this year Mackay Cutters. 

Main image: Recliffe Dolphins coach Ben Te'o and Souths Logan Magpies coach Karmichael Hunt. Photo: Josh Woning / QRL