Former Knights coach Rick Stone hasn’t closed the door on returning to the professional ranks and has turned down offers from elsewhere to take up his latest role with the Newcastle women’s representative team.
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The 51-year-old, who returned home to Belmont South around six months ago following a stint with English club Huddersfield, will coach CRL Newcastle in the NSW Women’s Premiership next season.
Stone said he was looking forward to the new challenge and working with quality players such as Bec Young, Mel Howard, Holli Wheeler and inaugural Golden Boot winner Isabelle Kelly.
However, after 72 NRL games in charge of the Knights across two stints between 2009 and 2015, as well as another 47 with the UK-based Giants and seven Tests steering Fiji, Stone said he remained interested in potentially coaching again at a higher level.
“There would be [interest], if the right job come along,” Stone told the Newcastle Herald.
“I’ve had a few offers to move interstate and do some coaching, but it wasn’t quite the right time for me.
“I’m not finished coaching yet, I really love rugby league and I want to get involved in it again. Here’s a good little opportunity for me to get involved and I’m sure there’s some good quality players to work with.
“We’ll learn a little bit from each other as we go along and if it does eventuate to something a bit bigger and better that’s great, if it doesn’t it’s not going to kill me.”
For Stone, who has enjoyed being a father in 2018 and watching his sons Ben, Sam and Jye play rugby league at various levels, this will be his first foray into the women’s game.
“I think we’ve all seen women’s sport in general explode in the last five years,” Stone said.
“I think different sports have probably got the jump a little bit on rugby league, but rugby league is quickly understanding that there’s a market and there’s an appetite for it. And the girls love it. They love playing and they’re pretty good at it too.
“The Australian team has obviously been good for a long time, but it’s good to see some of the lower competitions are getting a bit of a profile. [Now] To get to a stage where there’s a women’s NRL competition, I know it’s only in its infancy and last year [2018] was it’s first year but you can only see that growing from strength to strength.”
Stone takes over the CRL Newcastle women’s helm from Mick Young, husband of two-time World Cup champion Bec who he previously coached at the Knights,
“I believe he [Stone] will be not only the best coach in Newcastle, but the best coach in the women’s game at this time,” Bec Young said.
“To have him at our club will be amazing.”
Stone’s support staff includes Knights life member Mark Wright as head trainer and Cathy Zontos as a remedial therapist. He also hopes to invite former Knights players along to assist with various coaching elements, such as strength and conditioning, throughout his tenure.
CRL Newcastle were knocked out in the first week of finals earlier this year. In 2017, then known as North Newcastle, the squad reached the state decider. Prior to that the women’s side has also gone under the banners of Hunter Stars and Maitland Pickers.
The Knights did not feature in the inaugural four-team NRL Women’s Premiership a few months ago. Howard and Wheeler played for the Dragons while Kelly was with the Roosters. Squads and clubs for 2019 have not yet been confirmed.
