Ben Hornby and Dean Young. Picture: DAVE TEASE
RUGBY LEAGUE
They finished their careers as NRL players together. Today, Ben Hornby and Dean Young will embark on new coaching forays in the same way.
The former St George Illawarra teammates will go head-to-head for the first time when their respective SG Ball (under-18) sides meet for an annual trial at WIN Stadium.
The match coincides with Hornby's first official outing as the St George Dragons SG Ball coach, as well as Young's debut in the same capacity for the Illawarra Steelers.
Both are hungry for a result, but in the end, acknowledge that it will be the long-term outcome which benefits the club for which they made a combined 482 NRL appearances.
"Dean and I have got similar philosophies on how we coach and we think it's going to be great for the club," Hornby said.
"We're both working towards the same cause. Our job, really, is to get these kids to the next level and if we can do that with enough of them, that's going to be great for the St George Illawarra."
Pre-season tactics have formed the backdrop to Young and Hornby's weekly hitouts at Wollongong Golf Club, where conversation on the fairways has touched on coaching techniques and the sharing of ideas.
Hornby said the pair hadn't spoken too much about being opposites today.
"Dean and I see each other all the time and we talk all the time but we're just looking forward to the game," Hornby said.
"We just want to see our players play and see if they can put out on the field some of the things we've been teaching them.
"We're sharing ideas all the time. We talk about what we're doing at training and some things that Deano might be doing that I can pick up on and vice-versa."
Both Illawarra juniors, Hornby and Young reached dizzying heights during their playing careers, winning a premiership in 2010 and enjoying representative honours.
But the new job description has brought about an entirely different learning experience for the Dragons stalwarts.
"The biggest challenge is trying to fit as much stuff as you want to teach them into the time frames," Hornby said.
Today's SG Ball trial at WIN Stadium will commence at 5.15pm. A Harold Matthews Cup trial commences at 4pm. Entry is free to both events.