By Jon Geddes 

BEN Batger will chase his dream of following in the footsteps of Darren Coleman and Simon Cron when he steps down as Eastwood head coach at the end of the season.

The club stalwart, who began his association with Eastwood playing in the under-10s in 1994, told the players of his decision in the TG Millner Field dressing room before training on Tuesday night.

“I think I’ve done my time here, it’s my fifth year as a head coach and I’ve spent 20 years as a player here as well,” Batger told Rugby News. 

“I think if I want to grow as a coach eventually I’ll have to move on – and I see the time right now.

“It was certainly something I didn’t take lightly and it was very hard telling the boys at training on Tuesday but they all took it well”.

Batger certainly wants to continue coaching but doesn’t yet have a new position lined up for next year.

“Hopefully we can win the Shute Shield – most importantly that gives the club a premiership, gives the players who want to play at the higher level exposure and, I guess, gives me more of a chance of picking up my next gig,” he said.

“I want to get to a professional coaching environment and if I do it in the next year or two, I’m not sure.”

Over his five seasons in charge, Eastwood have consistently been a genuine premiership threat and played in the 2020 grand final against Gordon.   

Batger can be encouraged by the journeys Darren Coleman (Waratahs) and Simon Cron (Force), coaches who have graduated from the Shute Shield to oversee Super Rugby teams.

“I’d love to emulate guys like that,” he said.

FITTING FAREWELL  

DURING his address on Tuesday Batger said he wanted the rest of the season to be about the team and the players and didn’t want any more talk about his imminent departure. 

“That is understandable,” Woodies skipper Tane Edmed said. “But at the same time as a player, especially for me, there is extra motivation to send him out a winner at the club he has been at for so long.

“Personally I know I would really love to do that, but he is all about the group and he wants the group to do really well and he doesn’t want to be the main motivation.”

The Eastwood No.10 said while it was obviously a shame Batger wouldn’t be at Eastwood next year, the five-eighth backed his coach’s decision.

 “He needs to go forward in his career just the same way that the players do,” he said.

VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

EDMED said Batger has been a massive influence on his career.

“All I can say is I think he deserves an opportunity at the next level, wherever that may be,” Edmed said.

During his time working with Batger at Eastwood, Edmed was signed by the Waratahs and has become a key member of their Super Rugby squad.

“He has been awesome for me since I came to the club in 2020,” Edmed said.

“And I’m not going to lie and say we don’t have a really close relationship because we really do – we get along really well.”.

ONE OF THOSE DAYS     

As for those premiership aspirations, Eastwood currently sits in fourth spot, one point behind Randwick (third) and one above Manly (fifth).

With such a congested ladder, they really need a win over the spirited West Harbour at Concord Oval to consolidate their place in the top six.

Following their shock 60-28 thrashing by the Two Blues, Eastwood bounced back with a 28-27 win over Gordon last weekend.

“I think the Two Blues was just one of those days,” Edmed said. “We did well to put it in our rearview mirror and forget about it.

“In rugby those days happen – they were really, really, good on the day and we were really, really bad.”

He said while that was a bit frustrating, the boys bounced back well against Gordon.