If that is the case, then Jamie Soward's playing career leaves him better equipped than most to make the move into the coaching ranks.

That adage certainly applied to his days as a player, despite steering the Dragons to the 2010 NRL crown, ending a thirty-year premiership drought and delivering the first and only title for the St George Illawarra joint-venture.

That he quite reasonably felt "hated" on his messy departure just three years later is hard to fathom. It stung at the time, though he recalls it with a sense of levity these days.

He can certainly appreciate a special irony in returning to the fold nearly a decade later under his former Penrith coach Anthony Griffin.

"I've said before publicly that I wasn't the best version of myself when I was playing under Hook, but then we got to work together at 2GB and he's hired me again at the Dragons so it's a pretty funny story actually," Soward said.

"Last year I was just dipping the toe in because I had media commitments, I was down once a week and then they went into the bubble.

"This year I get a chance to make a bit of a difference learning from what the NRL squad's doing and being able to put it into play for the NRLW.

"I've only had a week with the girls and I was at training the other night and it just hit me that I'm a coach at a club where I won a premiership and had so many great memories.

"The privileged position of being able to come back in... it's sort of gone full circle. Once I left I think Dragons fans kind of hated me, but I'm hoping being back we can get some wins and do well.

"It's pretty surreal to be coaching back at the Dragons after leaving so many years ago."

Certainly the club's ongoing run of outs has seen a large section of the Red V faithful pine for the days when he was steering the ship.

If online reaction is anything to go by, they certainly welcome his presence as an influence on up and coming halves Jayden Sullivan and Talatau Amone.

That is, of course, his part-time gig. It's his first head coaching role with the Dragons NRLW side that has his unwavering attention.

Admittedly, he was given a leg-up by predecessor Mat Head, who was set to coach the Dragons in 2021 before the season was postponed. He's since been promoted to assist Anthony Griffin with the NRL squad.

It opened the door for Soward's return as NRLW mentor and overseeing the club's women's academy.

"For me being my first full-time coaching appointment I think all the heavy lifting was done earlier by Mat Head," Soward said.

"The squad that he put together has really assisted me in terms of having all that ready. I'm going to probably go through that for season two very shortly.

"That's something I'll have to learn on the run but I couldn't be happier.

"Being Heady's assistant with the NRL squad has helped keep that dialogue open and we've talked about players, why he signed certain players and what position he had them in.

"We see eye-to-eye on how we want to play. We played our footy in the same position and see the game the same way so that transition for myself has been all right.

"You'd have to ask the girls, but I like to think it's been easy for them as well. It's been a learning experience, but I come to work very happy every day and looking forward to each session."

Read more: Soward full of faith in rookie halves as NRLW season looms

Having worked in various media roles with both the NRL and the NSW Rugby League, he's more across the women's game than most, but it's not something that will determine his approach.

"I've been across all the competitions and I've seen some of these girls play for a long time, but I told them from day one, I don't coach female rugby league players, I coach rugby league," he said.

"My coaching style will develop, but how I want to play with the team that we've got, I'd play the same way if I had the NRL team.

"It's just about getting to know them and refining some of their skills so we can try and knock off the juggernaut that is (three-time premiers) the Broncos.

"I've got a clear vision of how I want us to play and I just want us to be disciplined with our skill and our ball control and make our tackles.

If we can do that and we get beat on the scoreboard, we just have to live with that. If we beat ourselves it'll be more disappointing.

"You probably don't understand that as a player but as a coach you do. I look back now and go 'man, that's what Wayne (Bennett) was talking about, that's what Hook, Ivan (Cleary) and all the coaches I've had were talking about'."

Those plans could easily be tossed asunder by COVID and, with the talent spread far more thinly in an expanded competition, Soward is planning for every contingency.

"There's a few differences this year, obviously the talent pool's been spread out a little bit more by having that internal draft," Soward said.

"If you look at the talent pool as far as the next crop coming up, I think it's really exciting for the game.

"Obviously with COVID we're not going to understand what's happening there and whether we have to move some players around.

"I'm preparing for everything, girls are training in different positions, learning different roles so we can be ready to go should something happen, but the talent pool is growing.

"If you lose the first two you're relying on a bit of luck but I think the talent pool being spread out helps grow the game rather than just the top end."

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