Tallon Smith

The Corowa Cougars will go back to the future in 2026 after appointing club stalwart Daniel Webb as first grade coach for the second time.

After a year off following two seasons in the role in 2023 and 2024, Webb will lead the club in the upcoming Goulburn Murray premiership competition after the return of previous coach Brad Nicholson to Albury Thunder.

Speaking on his appointment to the role, Webb said that while the club is facing a rebuilding year following a number of key losses over the off-season, he is excited to welcome some new faces to the club for its 40th season.

“It’s going to be a bit of a different year this year, we’re gonna have to go back to basics and start from the ground up again,” he said.

“We’re getting a fair few new players, because a lot of the others have moved on, gone to Group Nine, which is a good thing for us, it means that their development has gone forward.

“Last year’s coach must have shown a bit, taught the boys a fair bit and made them go to a higher level, so we can’t knock that, that’s what our competition’s for I guess.”

A Corowa junior and two-time club best and fairest, Webb’s previous tenure in the top job was successful, with the club finishing runners-up to Wolfpack in 2023 before bowing out in the semi finals the following season.

This experience will be key to the side’s success going forward, as the club prepares to field an almost completely new team, headlined by an international signing.

“We’ve just got a bloke who has come over from Samoa, Emilio Leti, he is working out at the local abbatoirs, and he played national stuff over there as a junior, I think he’s 22,” Webb said.

“He looks like he has got a lot of potential, we go to the pub and have a couple of beers and he’s out there doing burpees just for the fun of it, so he’ll be on the fitness side of it.

“There’s a couple of others who are hanging around, chasing a couple of good little halves at the moment, so a little bit of pressure on a couple there, but we’ll see how we go with that.”

Despite things trending upward in recent weeks since Webb’s appointment, the club has faced a largely uncertain off-season numbers wise after falling short of landing the signature of former Wagga Brothers mentor Peter Little as coach.

Even with the club legend now at the helm and a base squad secured, the Cougars are still on the hunt for more players keen to play senior rugby league in 2026.

Webb said that anyone who joins the club will be walking into a family-friendly environment with a focus on having fun while playing the game.

“There’s a lot of fun to be had, we really enjoy having a few beers after footy training, good feeds, we do a meal night every Thursday, we have a babysitter, so if you have kids, they come out, they’re still involved with the club, 

“It’s just a very social [club], it’s not all about winning on the park, and I think that helps across the board, we co-mingle with the ladies teams during training.

“Same as with the juniors, we’re trying to push for juniors this year and then try and build a buddy system, so you get to be a bit of a role model for those little kids as well if we can forward.

“So it’s not all about going out there and playing footy, [you can] enjoy yourself, play amongst a good bunch of blokes and have fun at a club.”

With many of the clubs in the competition facing similar challenges to the Cougars in numbers and player recruitment, the club has turned its focus away from Albury-Wodonga to six former Goulburn Murray towns in Cobram, Barooga, Yarrawonga, Mulwala, Finley and Tocumwal.

Webb said that tapping into the towns west of Corowa should provide the club with a more stable source of players.

“Albury-Wodonga has obviously got a fair few teams around there and player retention up there is going to be pretty difficult because we’ve got so many clubs in one town,” he said.

“We’re a little town of 5000 people, so for us to be going for so long is a good effort, but we have relied on Albury.

“If we can go more Yarrawonga, Cobram, that sort of direction, it’s not that far to drive, and you get to play for a good club, play in a good competition and help us stay alive.”

Players interested in joining the club are urged to contact them via details on their Facebook page.