Following three decades involved in rugby, Daine Walker says he’s ready to tackle one of the toughest coaching gigs in Australian sport.
Earlier this month, Walker was named the newest head coach of the Penrith Emus, who will contest the Suburban Rugby competition, otherwise known as Subbies, from next season.
Walker, who has enjoyed a long involvement in the game through playing and coaching, scored the coveted position after hearing through word of mouth that the Emus were hiring.
“One of my closest mates is a sponsor and they were talking about how there was an opportunity for the head coaching role,” Walker explained to the Weekender.
“So, I thought I’d have the conversation because I was looking to get back into a head coaching role. I sat down with Adam Fletcher (Emus President) and the Board and we chatted about goals and plans for next year and beyond and it sounded like a really good challenge and something that I wanted to be a part of.”
Helping Walker’s case for the gig was not only his extensive coaching background, which included a long stint at Blue Mountains Rugby, but also the fact he already worked as a coach for the Emus in the past.
In 2017, Walker was an assistant coach when former Wallaby Julian Huxley was in charge at Nepean Rugby Park.
“I was the second grade assistant coach, but I worked closely with Julian at training sessions and on game days,” Walker said.
“That experience working under a former international like Julian was invaluable and I learned a lot about him back then.
“I learned a lot from that period and over the years I have been implementing that where I can.”
While Huxley only held the head coaching role at Penrith for one season, Walker said he learned a thing or two about dealing with the pressure of coaching one of the most talked about sporting teams in Australia. He said he expects the Emus job to still be just as challenging and demanding despite the club not playing in a top tier competition like the Shute Shield or John I Dent Cup.
“I think it’s still going to be a high-pressure gig with a lot of eyes on us, but we’ve gained a lot of support from the local community and from the Subbies as well,” Walker said.
“By no means am I taking it as there’s no pressure there or anything like that but, for me, it’s business as per usual. We’re going to build a competitive side and grow a winning culture.
“Most importantly, we want to bring the families and fans back to the ground each Saturday. It will be a lot of work, but it’s nothing that can’t be done and I’m really excited for that challenge.”
The Emus are currently recruiting for players of all grades for next season, with pre-season training schedule to get underway at Nepean Rugby Park on Tuesday, November 19 at 6.30pm. Interested players should contact the club via social media or the Emus website.
“I’m confident in us as a club that we will be able to put competitive teams out on the field come Round 1,” Walker said.
Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender's Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.