New Hunter Wildfires women's rugby union coach Joey de Dassel excited by depth of talent

That was part of the attraction in taking on the Hunter Wildfires women's coaching position.

The Wildfires announced this month that the Mid North Coast-based 39-year-old would replace Brooke Saunders as Wildfires coach. Saunders has stood down due to other commitments.

De Dassel has coached men's and women's rugby union teams, including the Super W Select XV, and told the Newcastle Herald he was keen to continue growing the game for females.

"This summer I ran a women's and girls' academy training program on the Mid North Coast and that was really well received on lots of different levels, but also just for the regular training," de Dassel said.

"Most girls in the bush are training with boys. They don't get to train with other girls and tackle other girls from a young age, so I wanted to provide an environment where they could do that and that's been really successful.

"When the opportunity came up to coach the Wildfires, the step up interests me but also creating an opportunity for girls and women from all over the place to have a pathway into that next level of rugby."

De Dassel will get together with a Wildfires train-on squad for the first time on Thursday night before commencing pre-season training for the Sydney women's premier competition, where the Hunter side will play for the Jack Scott Cup.

"There's not a cemented squad yet," de Dassel said. "We'll be naming a squad of 30 closer to when the season starts and we'll use our pre-season and our trial games to work out who that 30 will be.

"There are some girls in the squad that I've coached before and that I've watched before, so I'm really aware of the depth of talent that we've got in the squad. It's an exciting group to be able to work with."

It will be the Wildfires' third season in the Sydney women's competition and their second in the top division. Last year's campaign was cut short due to COVID and this season is set to start on the last weekend of April.

"Hopefully we can get a full season at it and a full crack and we can put the Wildfires and then Hunter on the map in the Sydney competition," de Dassel said.

Meanwhile, some of the Wildfires players will be on hand when Hunter Junior Rugby Union (HJRU) host a free Girls Try Rugby day at Marcellin Park, Maitland on Sunday.

The day offers the chance for girls to try their hand at rugby union through skills sessions and games. More information on the day is available through HJRU's facebook page.

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