THE axe is back - the Oberon Tigers have secured a massive signing for the 2022 Mid West League season with former star Abel Lefaoseu returning to the club as coach.
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Though Lefaoseu initially made the tough decision to leave the Tigers when they dropped back from Group 10 to the second-tier Mid West competition - he signed with St Pat's in November 2019 - the hard-charging centre felt the time was right to make a return.
The Oberon committee agreed, giving Lefaoseu the nod as Tigers coach after weighing up a number of quality applications.
"I know there were other clubs very interested in him, but look he played five seasons with us, he lives in town, he works in town, he's definitely an adopted local," Oberon president and outgoing men's coach Dallas Booth said.
"He's now 35 so he's probably at that age where he needed to make a choice if he wanted to put his body through another premier league season, or do what's he's chosen to do, come back and start helping second division guys out by sharing your experience and your knowledge.
"We're really lucky that is what interested him.
"And yes, he is mid-30s, but that doesn't mean he's not an axe. Just his playing presence alone will have a massive impact."
When Lefaoseu previously played with the Tigers in the Group 10 premier league competition, he gained cult status for the way he charged into opponents in attack and cut down rivals in defence.
Though capable of playing in the forward pack, he was in the main deployed as one of the most damaging centres in the competition.
He was a member of the 2017 side which made the grand final against Orange CYMS and when it was announced he had signed with St Pat's for the 2020 season, it was seen as a major coup.
The COVID-19 pandemic meant Lefaoseu only got a pre-season with the Saints, with the Group 10 competition cancelled. Instead he spent a season playing rugby union with the Bathurst Bulldogs.
This year Lefaoseu was back in Group 10 as a Bathurst Panther, once again proving to be an attacking weapon.
Booth revealed the talented centre would have loved to play Mid West with the Tigers 2020 after Group 10 was cancelled, but eligibility rules prevented him from doing so.
However, as a playing coach Lefaoseu is free to line up for the Tigers in the Mid West competition.
"In second division they do have rules in play where you just can't bring premier league players in and try and win it, he would've played with us last year after Group 10 was cancelled but couldn't because of those rules," Booth said.
"So he went and had a season of rugby with Bulldogs and then went and played with Panthers. But because in second division your captain-coach is allowed to have played at any level, we can have him back and that's really good for us and the comp as well.
"He loves Oberon and the only reason that he left was because we didn't have a premier league side ... he loves the town, he just loves the club. His first words to us when he applied, was 'Look, I'd love to be able to give back to the club that brought me here.' That's great."
Lefaoseu previously coached the Tigers' under 18s side when the club was in Group 10, but this is his first senior appointment.
Booth is looking forward to no only seeing Lefaoseu once again produce his barnstorming displays in Tigers colours, but inspiring Oberon's whole roster to produce their best football.
"The rep footy experience he has is great. Before he moved to Oberon he made just about every rep side possible in Queensland. Those five seasons he played for us he also played Group 10 and Western," Booth said.
"We are probably going to have a pretty close side to what we had this year, so bringing Abel in, his presence on the field will just lift players, having someone of that quality and with those leadership skills and just his toughness.
"He runs hard, he tackles hard, he hasn't got a backwards step in him, he's always put his body on the line for his team-mates.
"That's going to be so valuable to these younger guys. We had a lot of guys this season who were in their first or second year of senior footy and while they learned a lot this year, Abel will help them go to that next step.
"Who knows? He might be able to play a few extras years in a second division comp compared to what he could do in premier league."
The Tigers have also announced that Shannon Foley will return as coach of the women's league tag side in 2022.
Under Foley the women's side won the Mid West pre-season competition and fell just one win short of a grand final appearance in the season proper.
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