Leather Balls, the sued suited, elbow patched, 70s legend bar fly gets down and dirty with hard hitting interviews. No one can hide; no one dare challenge his wit; no one dare hide the truth.

Leather: So Pete (6’7), How’s the view up there ?

Pete: It's great! I can see our club having a very long, healthy and successful future. I can see the enthusiasm and talent of our current batch of 16's and 18's continuing on from the great senior teams of the past - playing high quality football for each other and celebrating their successes together as mates. I see the Golden Oldies continuing to celebrate that rugby is primarily about good times and seeing the world and I can see our healthy junior base wanting to create their own history as the 16's and 18's of the future.

Leather: You must get sick of people telling you you’ve got boogers ?

Pete: It's better than people standing a beer on my head.

Leather: We all know you’re former Pro footballer (Pete had a year with the Brumbies, 2 years with the Waratahs before heading to Japanese club IBM for 3 seasons), but really you must be pissed you got so close to the summit only to be turned back by a storm. Is not playing for the Wallabies something that burns inside or are you stoked to have made it as far as you did ?

Pete: I made my Super 12 debut when I was 30 years old, so I really only had a small window of opportunity to make an impact and have any chance of even being considered for a Wallaby berth. A couple of injuries at key moments didn't help either. When I made my debut with the Waratahs against Ireland, I would have been happy at that time if I only had that game to know the thrill of playing before 30,000 people in front of my family and friends. But I'm so glad I got the chance to play more games.

Leather: Bullshit Pete. So you’ve been back in Port a couple of years, nailed a premiership with the A team last year, and now you’ve stuck your hand up for President. Is Rugby admin something you’ve always wanted to do or was it just time in this case ?

Pete: Volunteer organisations are all about the effort of the members and if clubs want success at any level, than everyone in the club has to do their part - from the administrators right down to the players. Having had a number of ideas as to what I thought was needed for the club to capitalise on all the good efforts that have been put into the club over the past few years, I felt that it was time to either 'put up, or shut up'. I'm a firm believer in being part of a solution rather than part of a problem and even though the timing for me personally was not the best, I felt that the timing was in the best interests of the club

Leather: Rugby committees have a tendancy to be a bit political, is Oaky (Pete works for local MP and Pirate Patron Rob Oakeshott) giving you tips on how to get things done ?

Pete: Letting politics control your volunteer organisation is the surest way of turning good people away from your club and in the process, ensuring all the wrong people become involved. All committee members should always ask themselves a simple question, when considering any issue concerning their organisation - "Is this in the best interests of the club and it's members?" It is easy to get sidetracked from what is important when dealing with all the issues that surround volunteer organisations, and that is why we are very lucky to have the support of a great committee, who always have the best interests of the club at heart. It is also essential for good ideas to keep flowing through the club and that is why we encourage all members to have their say, get to know their committee and get involved!

Leather: You’ve jumped straight in with changes, new coach, new playing strip, new equipment, and now a second reserve grade team… obviously you’re a man on a mission ?

Pete: All clubs go through rough times, where no matter how much effort is put in, things just don't seem to be working. The time was right to make a few changes and rather than just pay lip service to bringing a new attitude to the club, I wanted to demonstrate the fact by implementing some of the good ideas that our members had raised. And already some of the hard work is paying dividends, I mean when was the last time we had 60 blokes through training BEFORE the first comp game. If we didn’t field the second reserves team guys would be missing out, and for us the more the merrier.

Leather: There was some big announcements recently regarding the Pirates importing some players this year. Is this good for the club ?

Pete: Recruitment is one of the many keys to success on the field and getting the right players in the right positions helps the overall club train players up to be the best that they can be. Providing experienced overseas players with the opportunity to play with our club will strengthen certain positions, provide good role models from which the less experienced players will learn and hopefully strengthen the attitude of the players around them through the professional approach that I spoke of previously.

Leather: OK, but what about the future playing stocks, how are we going to keep the club strong with a strong playing roster ?

Pete: The club has, in the past, relied on a number of players playing out of position and in the process, denying themselves the chance to explore their true rugby potential. I'm not saying that players won't be called upon to play out of their position this season (no one has that luxury in country rugby) but we will certainly have a larger player base in each position that will put pressure on those players who are selected in the club's first XV and in turn, improve the prospects of the club.

Leather: Now leather has always been a bit partial to the odd brew or 10 on the hill, but I’ve noticed I tend to be drinking with fewer people every year. Is it win at all costs or is there going to be time for socially interaction this year ?

Pete: Both on and off the field are the focus of the committee for this season and we will be making sure that players, sponsors and supporters alike, can be proud of their club and have plenty of opportunities to enjoy themselves at club organised functions. We kicked off the social season with a St Patrick's day celebration on March 17, at our trial game against Merewether, and since then the Eastern Districts came to town and the club house was rocking. Add to that the pre-season camp at Point Plomer and I reckon we’ve laid a decent social foundation !

Leather: What about the sheilas, I mean the clubs got to have the ugliest bunch of young blokes floating around since..well..since I was young…. How are we going to get some sorts back on the hill ?

Pete: We have had a number of ladies offer their services on the club's social working group, which is fantastic because the blokes have no idea what they are doing! But by including and considering the ladies in all aspects of the club, it will make for a happier, more inclusive club that allows for all members of the family to enjoy and appreciate what rugby has to offer. We intend to continue the good work done to ensure the kids also have a great day at the club and are as involved as they want to be (anyone who has kids that want to be a ballboy/ballgirl for our homegames - contact me). We have a number of ideas that we will try this year, but as always, the club is only as good as it's members want it to be, and we always welcome member input. It's hoped that 2007 will be a great season for the club.

Leather: Thanks Pete, all the best for the year

So Brett, I hear you’re a no- nonsense type of bloke who loves to argue. No doubt your aware that I’m twice the footballer you ever were ?

Brett: Twice the size did you say?

Leather: You played with the Pirates in the 90s after moving up from Sydney, can you tell us a little about your playing history prior to arriving in Port?

Brett: I was introduced to Rugby at St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill, which is Australia’s most famous rugby school. I then played colts and grade for Sydney University from 1986 to 1993, the oldest club in Australia and the 8th oldest club in the world. I played a fair bit of first grade in 1988 and 1989 at fullback whilst Bob Egerton was playing for Oxford. On Egerton’s return I played various positions including wing and centre. At Uni I was lucky enough to be coached by some very good rugby brains including Brian Donellan, Dave Brockhoff, Tony Abbott and Doug Stewart. I also got to play with the likes of Nick Farr-Jones, Jim Fenwicke, Michael Hawker ,Bob Egerton and Brendan Miller. It was whilst playing for Uni that I met our current president Peter Beselling. I moved to the Port after the ’93 season and Besso followed a year later.

Leather: You’ve spent a lot of time developing junior rugby in the area, and it has been a major success, how are you going to manage to keep this going and coach First Grade ?

Brett: Our junior program is now one of the best in country NSW and in 4 or 5 years Port Macquarie and the Mid North Coast will be a real force in junior rugby. We now have a good structure in place and I have good helpers including Catherine and Max Webb and Peter Gerathy. Time is an issue now that I’m coaching the seniors so hopefully I can hand over the reigns to someone during the course of this season.

Leather: OK, so into the big stuff, why stick your hand up for Pirates coach this year ?

Brett: The bottom line is that I was saddened to see what was happening to this great club. I attended a few games in 2005 and a few more in 2006 and by the end of 2006 the standard in First Grade had deteriorated to the extent that the players weren’t playing with pride in the jumper and virtually no one was attending the home games and the club house was virtually empty after the game.

This club has a great tradition of playing attractive and attacking rugby and has won 13 first grade premierships – the only club in Port Macquarie to have won a first grade premiership and by far the most of any club on the mid north coast. I was lucky enough to play in a few of those premierships and I want this crop of players to enjoy the same experience.

Our goal in 2007 is to restore the pride and passion and to make the club a great place to enjoy rugby and the mateship that goes with it.

Leather: Coaching can be like walking a tight rope at times, are you happy with the support you have received from the committee so far?

Brett: Yes I’ve had 100% support - from the training equipment, new playing jerseys for first grade, and the provision of some financial assistance for some of our foreign imports to travel to Australia. The committee has a good mix of workers and I’m sure they will continue to help the coaching staff achieve our goals for 2007 and beyond.

Leather: And what about the playing roster? There’s been a lot of talk, and a recent port News article mentioned that it looks like we will be getting 4 imports this year. Why do you see the need, and what do you think the result will be for home grown talent ?

Brett: Well firstly the great thing about Rugby is that it is a genuinely global game. When I played with Uni I toured Fiji, Argentina and Chile, the USA and Ireland. You meet great people from all around the world with a common love for our game. Unfortunately Port isn’t yet a great touring club however we do have a proud history of welcoming overseas players to our club, the most well known of which is obviously British Lion Ben Clarke. Apart from quite a few Poms, we’ve had Scottish, Welsh, Canadians, Botswanians, and the odd Kiwi. They bring something different to the club off the field which helps build the character of the club.

And Coffs Harbour haven’t won 4 in a row by mistake – they are a very well coached team with excellent players in key positions, particularly the front row and fly half.

So I realised we were facing a big challenge in 2007 to compete with Coffs after finishing second last in First grade in 2006 - despite reserve grade being undefeated premiers.

Whilst we had good depth and talent in some positions we didn’t have a Frank Walsh or Peter Bennett. Rob Devonshire is a vastly experienced back rower, having been capped 21 times with England under 19’s and 21’s and having played at the highest level of club rugby in Europe with the Newcastle Falcons. And Thomas Eastham is also a natural leader, having captained the Cardiff University First XV. These are the type of players who lift the rest of the squad to achieve their potential. Players like Geoff Lee, Mitchell Brown,Matt Riechelt, Tom Valentine and Damon Richards are proven performers and they will benefit from playing with our imports this year.

The only complaints about our import policy will come from those clubs who lack the resources and/ or initiative to build their own playing roster. If every club had a similar policy the standard of rugby on the mid north coast would be much stronger. Some of the best club rugby ever seen on the mid north coast was played between the champion Pirates teams in the mid 90’s and a Taree team that included Fijian stars Emori Bolobollo and Bruce Raque.

Leather: How do you take the comments that you’re the new ox ?(Graham “Ox” Linn successfully coached the Pirates in the 90s to a few premierships and was a big supporter of bringing in talent to bolster playing ranks)

Brett: Just as long as the similarity doesn’t extend to body shape I’d take it as a compliment. But I’ve got to win a few premierships before I can lay claim to anything like his record as a coach.

I learnt a bit about winning under Graham and I‘d like to think that I will be drawing on some of what I learnt from him. A strong front row was always an objective of his – and the signing of Kiwi tight head William Kuki is probably a bit of the Ox legacy coming into play already.

Leather: Body complex Brett?

Apart from on field performance, what are some of the areas you would like to see the players step up this year?

Brett: I’d like to see some quality Karioke. People like Jim Gilmour and Squirter need to take the lead here.

Leather: Any comment on the opposition teams this year ?

Brett: its good to see Wingham join the fray this year – I played my first footy with the Wingham Tigers under 7’s league in 1972. The Vikings look like they will do well with some good off season recruiting. Dorrigo and Kempsey always make you earn the points. But there is no question that Coffs will be the team to beat again.

Leather: There’s obviously a lot of work to be done then. You’ve built a good team of coaches/trainers around you, how is it all coming together:

Brett: The other thing I learnt from the Ox was to have good people around you - Graham was probably the first country coach to adopt a business management approach to club rugby. So I have Geoff Leary as training co-ordinator and Scott Leis as assistant coach and Doug Piper as football manager and we are working as a team. Every session and every stage of our preparation is planned. The players are responding well to the variety and intensity of our sessions. I’m confident that no team will have a fitness advantage on us this year.

Leather: Without giving to much away, what style of rugby can we expect this year ?

Brett: I don’t want to say too much or our opposition may be all over it, but we will be taking ourselves and our opponents out of the comfort zone. We won’t be taking the options that the opposition want us to be taking.

Leather: Lets put pressure on someone, who’s the candidate for most improved this year ?

Brett: probably Dave Bailey – when you start off such a low base it doesn’t take much improvement to be the most improved. But seriously I’d say Bryce Hardie - as a centre.

Leather: And will you be bringing your boots to any games this year ?

Brett: They will be in the car just in case I’m needed for the Reggies. But I will still need to borrow my son Tom’s headgear -he is still complaining about the smell from last year.

Leather: Thanks for your time Brett. Good luck for the season.