JYE Bayley wants to help "rebuild" Macquarie over the next three Newcastle Rugby League seasons, ensuring depth across all grades.
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Bayley, 33 years old and a plasterer by trade, has been appointed as next coach of the Scorpions following the post-campaign departure of Matt Roach (work and family commitments).
Macquarie missed the top five in 2023 after being grand finalists 12 months earlier.
A former player at the Scorpions around a decade ago, Bayley recalls lining up alongside Royce Geoffrey but has already started conversions with the current squad and recruits like Bray Guyan (Knights - Jersey Flegg).
"It's a three-year plan for the club ... for me it's rebuilding the whole club to make sure they're strong the whole way through," Bayley told the Newcastle Herald.
"Still confident we can build a side that's semi-final hopeful [in 2024], but over the course of that time it's about building up the 19s and even juniors below that to add depth and strength."
Singleton-product Bayley, most recently at the Knights, says local coaching influences include Tony Gleeson, Adam Bettridge and Matt Lantry.
Bayley, who ended his playing career after multiple shoulder operations, will steer Macquarie from 2024 to 2026 after Roach took over from Steve Kidd this year.
Bettridge was previously in charge of the Scorpions, including the club's drought-breaking premiership from 2017.
When out in the middle himself, Bayley was named Maitland's player of the year in 2009 when they re-entered the Newcastle RL competition.
He also did a stint as captain-coach of Singleton in group 21.
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