Battle on for coaching role

Four locals with proven coaching backgrounds have confirmed their applications to be head coach of the Wairarapa-Bush Heartland championship rugby team in 2011.
Nominations for the position held for the past three seasons by Manawatu-based Kelvin Tantrum - who is not seeking a fourth term - closed yesterday and among those who have thrown their hats into the ring are Graeme Cheetham, Neil Foote, Steve Hurley and Mark Rutene.
Cheetham has already had experience of coaching Wairarapa-Bush at Heartland level, sharing the role with Lofty Stevenson in 2007. Before that he had coached Eketahuna to the premier division club title and he has been back coaching them for the past two seasons, guiding them through to the semifinals this year.
"Looking back, I think the Heartland side had the potential to do really well this year, but things didn't quite work out for them," Cheetham said "Playing in the Meads Cup always has to be the aim and I'm sure we have the talent to achieve that next time around."
Foote filled the assistant coaching role for Tantrum during his three-season stint which ended with Wairarapa-Bush winning the Lochore Cup final against Buller in Westport last month. He also had three years as coach of the Wairarapa-Bush Colts and has held down coaching positions in the United States and Portugal.
"The Lochore Cup success showed just how talented our players can be when they train under a certain game plan and actually play to it. We just weren't consistent enough in that respect this season," Foote said.
Hurley coached Carterton to the premier division club title in 2006 and was a driving force behind the establishment of the Wairarapa-Bush rugby academy, an institution which he believes has still to reach its full potential.
Without expanding on the coaching proposal he is putting forward for the Heartland side, Hurley did admit it was "something different" and said it would be interesting to see what response it received from those recommending who should get the head coach role. "Whether the powers-that-be are ready for it, I don't know," he said.
Rutene was coach of the Carterton club which won this year's premier division title and has also had coaching stints with the Wairarapa-Bush B and Wairarapa-Bush Colts.
He said coaching the Heartland side had been a goal of his for the past two years and felt he was ready for the challenge.
Like the other known candidates for the head coach position, Rutene is confident the current playing resources in Wairarapa-Bush are good enough for them to make a decent impact at Meads Cup level.
"Yes, there is no reason why we shouldn't compete well there," he said.