BATHURST Bulldogs have gained a valuable edge for next season’s Blowes Clothing Cup competition by bringing incumbent Central West Blue Bulls mentor Dean Oxley as head coach.
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The former Bulldogs player had been eager to come on board to coach the Bathurst club prior to next season but said 2018 will be the perfect time to give it a shot.
"I had 17 years at the club as a player and the club has always been a big part of my life," he said.
"I needed to put my family and work commitments first before I could take on the job.
"I'm excited about the job because the club's been in a strong position - as it has been since the 80s - but it's been seven years since the team's been to a grand final.
"I was part of one of the club's successes in '94 and I'd like to be involved in bringing the team back to the top."
Oxley joins the ranks at Bulldogs alongside the returning Col Kemp, who fills the role of assistant coach.
The Bulldogs club also have a new man filling the role of president, Greg Reid, after John Maynard stepped up to take on the president’s role for Central West Rugby Union.
It’s an exciting time for Oxley to come on board as the competition prepares to start its two-tier system.
Bulldogs will face just five different opponents in the 2018 season.
With more matches per year against physical opposition Oxley is putting plenty of focus on appropriate preparation and recovery.
"I'm coaching the Blue Bulls as well but working with the Bulldogs will require a whole new approach. It's going to be a challenging season in a six-team competition featuring some hard teams," he said.
"This is going to be a 'hang-on-to-your-hat' kind of year. The squad mentality becomes even more important because injuries can come from playing harder games, and that's what we're going to get.
"That's going to require strong conditioning and that's being driven by Pip McIntosh, who is doing an excellent job. We'll also have assistance from Glenn Corcoran who is one of the leading strength and conditioning coaches in the whole country."
Bulldogs began their training over a month ago.
In that time Oxley has reinforced the need for commitment in the off-season.
"Forbes did the extra yards this year and got the results. That's what I'm challenging the Bulldogs boys to do next year," he said.
"It's been Emus and Forbes for the past few years now, and we can change that. It will be tough as Dubbo and Orange City are rebuilding well and Cowra will be determined to show they belong in the top division."
Bulldogs built up an intimidating wall of defence on their way to this year’s Blothes Clothing Cup preliminary final.
Oxley said it’s the work with the ball in hand that requires the bigger focus in the lead up to the new season.
"I'd like to make some changes to our attacking play but I thought the attitude in defence was fantastic," he said.
"There's areas we can learn how to be smarter in our play. It's going to be about sticking to the plans we put in place.
"A couple of new faces would be an advantage to the club but we'll see what eventuates next year."