Bulletin’s Big Q&A with Tweed Seagulls’ new pathways and recruitment manager David Penna
HE was an 11-season NRL veteran before stepping into the coaching world with Manly and Canterbury. Now, David Penna has taken on a new challenge with the Intrust Super Cup’s Tweed Seagulls, as he discusses in this week’s Big Q&A.
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HE was an 11-season NRL veteran before stepping into the coaching world with Manly and Canterbury.
Now, David Penna has taken on a new challenge with the Intrust Super Cup’s Tweed Seagulls, as he discusses in this week’s Big Q&A.
Q. You started as Tweed’s pathways and recruitment manager last week. What’s involved?
A. Obviously the club has got some fantastic young players and I think last season was one of the most successful they’ve had for a while. So it’s just a matter of keeping that going, managing all the young players and making sure that they’re working on the things they need to work on. And obviously just building them into better footballers. Then for the senior side, it’s helping the coach with managing the players we’ve already got, and looking outside of that with players we can attract to the club.
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Q. Were you always headed down the development path?
A. It’s always been one of my stronger points, even when I was playing. I really enjoyed helping the younger players if they ever needed advice. That never really changed as I went up through the grades up to the NRL level. You get your young players in the NRL these days and they’re all terrific talents. They just listen to everything you say and it makes your job enjoyable.
Q. Is there recruitment part of the role something different for you?
A. I guess the recruitment side of things, playing and being involved in the game at the younger levels and senior levels, you’ve just about coached two or three players in every NRL club now. You get to know them and meet their managers so I thought with my contacts, the recruitment side of things won’t be too difficult. It’s just getting my head around the logistics and paperwork that goes with it. I just thought I’d like a new challenge. They’re a great club and honestly, you’re living in the best part of Australia. That played a role too.
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Q. Have you had the chance to spend much time on the Coast previously?
A. I’ve got some really good friends (at Kingscliff) so I’ve been coming up for about 10 years now. At the moment I’m staying at Tugun until my family all come up. (Kingscliff) is a nice part of the world, it’s quiet and it’s close to everything so that’s where we’ll be moving to.
It must be a perfect fit - pursuing your passion without the pressure of the NRL?
The pressure’s are always there in the game of rugby league. Everybody is out for success and unfortunately there can only be one winner every year. At the end of the day there’s still a bit of pressure because you’re trying to bring players to the club and you hope that they’re successful and you’ve done the right thing. But I’ve always thought that if you work hard, do the right thing and put your mind to it then there’s no reason why you can’t be happy with the job that you’re doing.
Q. Did you know you wanted to get into coaching when you were still playing?
A. Not really. Brian Smith was my last coach and he said to me in a few training sessions ‘I think you’d go OK in this department’. He made a call one day and said Eric Grothe Sr was coaching and needed some help with the Kellyville Bushrangers. So I went down and helped. I’m a very passionate person so I got caught up in it all and I’ve loved it ever since.
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Q. What’s your early impression of the talent here on the Coast and the Tweed?
A. That’s one thing that’s really blown my mind away. I understand why Queensland - and this is no disrespect to NSW and the way things are done - have been so successful over a long period of time. Just the amount of talent and the way it’s all managed. It’s a bit of a challenge for myself, I’ve got to learn a lot of different names and a lot of different suburbs and different clubs. The game here, I saw a bit of it last year and ... this is such a great catchment area and the amount of talent that I’ve seen just within a week (is amazing). It’s just going to blow me away in the next three or four weeks, that’s for sure. I just love the fact that when you talk to the young men these days - I know everybody wants to rubbish a rugby league player - it’s very hard to find a player in this day and age’s not well behaved, that doesn’t have manners, that’s not polite. The kids coming through the grades and the young systems just seem to be outstanding people.
Q. What do you enjoy most about working with the players coming through now?
A. What I love about the new generation coming through is that they’re not scared to ask questions. If they think you’re doing something wrong, they’ll tell you and that’s not a bad thing. I think that’s probably the best way you can learn. I think they’re more confident in a way where, 30 years ago if you went to training and Peter Sterling was there, you wouldn’t talk to him unless he talked to you. You’d be shy.
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Q. Given the talent you mention, what’s gone wrong for the Titans and how do they fix it?
A. It’d be unfair for me comment on something like that but looking at the new set up - I’ve been out there and looked at the set up - and the coaches, I think there’s a lot of new passion in the coaches that have gone there, there’s a lot of experience and I just think that once the club gets some stability with their playing roster and getting players on the field (they’ll be OK). Just seeing the amount of talent here, I think the big thing for them is how they can keep it. That’s the big challenge because I’ve seen some of the best kids in the country running around up here. If you can stop them going to sign with the Roosters and Broncos and those sort of places (that’s the key). I guess that’s part of my role going forward and if we can catch that young talent and make that pathway to the Titans, I see a massive future for the club. That’s started with me and the club and the new people there now and hopefully in two or three years’ time the benefit of that will start to shine through. They’re definitely on the right track.
Q. How do you look back on your playing career? You must be proud of your achievements.
A. You ask any NRL player and they’re never happy with the way they played but you ask those who never played and they’ll call you an idiot (for saying that). Part of what I wish is that I could go back and play and understand the game the way I do now as a coach. Obviously as a player you understand some parts of the game but I know I would’ve been a better player with the knowledge of the game that i’ve got now. But at the end of the day, I was very lucky to play at NRL level and play against some of the greatest players of our game and alongside some of the greatest players in our game. It’s something not a lot of people can say and it’s something I’m very proud of.
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Q. You mentioned playing with and against some greats. Who stands out?
A. Obviously I was lucky enough to play a time when your Brad Fittlers, Andrew Johns and Darren Lockyer (were playing). I was lucky enough at a young age to play alongside some of the greats in Brett Kenny and Peters Sterling and a very close mate of mine Jim Dymock, who’s moved up here to help the Titans. He’ll do a great job with them. I was lucky enough to play alongside Jimmy and Jason Smith and those sorts of players. It’s great to say that we were teammates and in Jimmy’s case, we’re close mates.
Q. What were the things that stand our as highlights during your playing career?
A. There’s a couple of things. Souths didn’t win too many things but we won the Tooheys Challenge against the Broncos (in 1994) and that was a great moment for me. I was only a younger fella but it was a very strong Brisbane Broncos side back then. Later in my career when I was playing my better football, I was lucky enough to play in some major semi finals. Again, I got knocked out by the Broncos and Melbourne Storm but being able to get that close to a grand final (was special), particularly when I thought my career was over after I left Parramatta and came back. They were some of the better moments of my career.
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Q. What about the flip side of that - did you have any major regrets as a player?
A. I have regrets as a player in doubting my own ability. One of my downfalls was always questioning whether I deserved to be there in the NRL and playing alongside players like that. I guess that sounds silly but it’s something that holds a lot of players back at times. That’s one of the things I love to teach younger players, about having no regrets. I probably remember more of the bad games that I played than the ones I played well in. Our game is very mental and if you can educate the players to go out there every week, enjoy their football and have no regrets (they will) play their best football. Because you just never know when you (may have to) stop playing.
DAVID PENNA FACT FILE
Age: 47
Playing position: fullback, centre, five-eighth, halfback
NRL games: 134 (32 tries)
NRL clubs: Parramatta (1990-93), South Sydney (1994-97), Parramatta (1998-2000)
Notes:
■ Tweed Seagulls’ new pathways and recruitment manager
■ Coaching roles with Manly from 2005-2015 (SG Ball coach 2005, Jersey Flegg coach 2006-07, NYC coach 2008-2011, NRL assistant coach 2012-15)
■ South Sydney assistant coach 2016
■ Canterbury assistant coach 2017-19
■ Samoa assistant coach 2013-18
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