Penrith Panthers has confirmed the club’s coaching appointments for the 2023 Junior Representative season across the Harold Matthews, SG Ball and Tarsha Gale Cup competitions.
Panthers is proud to announce the appointment of former NRLW player Christine Pauli as the Tarsha Gale Cup assistant coach.
Premiership-winning SG Ball coach Scott Thompson returns to the side for the 2023 season, while Kyle Churchill will take the reins as Harold Matthews coach and Darren Baker has been named as the Tarsha Gale coach.
The three sides had successful seasons in 2022 with the SG Ball team claiming the premiership, the Harold Matthews side reaching the finals and the Tarsha Gale Cup squad finishing eighth.
SG BALL
Head Coach – Scott Thompson. Having led the SG Gall to premiership triumph in 2022, Scott, who has been involved with the Panthers junior system since 2011, returns as the side’s head coach.
Assistant Coach – Michael Ross. A former NYC premiership player with the Panthers, Michael returns as assistant for 2023 season.
Assistant Coach – Brett Law. New to the Panthers system for 2023, Brett has won numerous local A Grade premierships and is a former Penrith A Grade Player of the Year.
HAROLD MATTHEWS
Head Coach – Kyle Churchill. Returning as Head Coach for 2023, Kyle has been involved with Penrith for a number of years and is a school teacher at St Dom’s College Penrith.
Assistant Coach – Ben Hutchings. Moving from his role as Harold Matthews conditioning coach in 2022 to assistant coach in 2023, Ben has been a part of the club’s development programs for a number of years.
Assistant Coach – Leo Clarke. A former NRL player with the Dragons and Wests with great experience in Harold Mathews coaching, Leo joins Panthers following stints in the Bulldogs, Wests and Dragons systems.
Assistant Coach/Medical – Colin Murphy. Panther player 348 returns to the Harold Matthews setup for the 2023 season. Colin will take on the role as a medical trainer, and will assist the coaching team where required.
TARSHA GALE
Head Coach – Darren Baker. Returning for a second season in charge of the Tarsha Gale squad, Darren is a former player through all of the Panthers Junior Rep teams in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He has a wealth of coaching experience across numerous clubs in our local league; in both male and female teams.
Assistant Coach – Christine Pauli. Christine is a former NRLW player with the Dragons and Parramatta - retiring earlier in the year. Christine has played across numerous teams in the local Penrith district and Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership competition.
Assistant Coach – Matt Reid. The 2023 season will be Matt’s first with the Panthers, although he has coached locally for many years.
