Kariong Wanderers appoint female head coach in a first for the region

Kariong Wanderers have appointed Louise Ferris as head coach for 2022.

While Ferris becomes the first female rugby union head coach in the region, she is no stranger to coaching both men’s and women’s teams and has a rich history of involvement with the game.

Growing up in New Zealand with five “rugby mad” brothers, Ferris said her interest in the game was inevitable.

“I was pretty much playing rugby from the age of six or seven in boys’ teams,” she said.

“My mother didn’t like the idea of women in contact sports so I used to tell her I was playing touch football.”

Ferris played with various teams until she was 10, when the family relocated to Australia.

“I was introduced to touch football at first because women’s rugby didn’t exist here then,” she said.

“I also played rugby league – put a ball in my hand and I’ll have a go.”

Ferris was involved in getting rugby recognised at an international level.

“I pushed for tours to promote women’s rugby in New Zealand and it went from there,” she said.

“We had our first Australian selection in 1994 and played our first Test Match as the Wallaroos against New Zealand.”

Ferris went on to play for the Wallaroos for 12 years before injury forced her off the field at the age of 35.

“Some coaches tried to get me back in but my body had had enough and I wasn’t able to keep up with training,” she said.

“I took a couple of years off and then I was approached to do some coaching in Sydney.

“It was something I had always thought about – to give back to the code and coach.

“While I love coaching the women I’ve had this fascination with coaching men.

“I had an approach where I felt I could deliver a coaching program quicker with men.”

Ferris said she was fortunate to have close connections with some high-profile coaches, whose expertise she would employ in coaching the Wanderers first grade men’s team.

“They’ve all coached professionally – some have been involved with NRL teams as well,” she said.

“These are good friends I met through my rugby days and I will be bringing them into my pre-season program.”

Ferris plans to hold three Super Coaching sessions during the pre-season featuring top coaches Stu Woodhouse, Todd Louden, Joe Bakarat, Max Malkin, Inge Visser and Stephen James – all highly accomplished and respected in the Australian rugby union world.

“I don’t know everything and I like to use guest coaches as a resource to work on areas of the game I may know have a lot of knowledge in,” Ferris said.

With the first competition game of the season scheduled for April 2, Ferris said she was confident.

“We finished third last year on the ladder before COVID set in and the season was cut short,” she said.

“I see pre-season as a reload not a reset – the boys are really settling into a solid game plan.

“We have a really strong focus on how we want to play and are working on the skill set to deliver that.

“There is an element of de-cluttering and reflecting and I am really looking forward to introducing new defensive systems and attack structures learnt from my own mentors.

“We’re off to a good start.

“I assisted head coach Max Malkin last year so the boys have a feel for what I’ll bring to the club.”

Ferris and her family relocated to the Central Coast two years ago after she had successfully coached men’s clubs in Sydney including West Harbour.

Terry Collins