By Jon Geddes

WHEN Joe Barakat stepped down as West Harbour coach in 2022,  he recommended Cam Treloar as his replacement.

And after “Tree” was appointed, Barakat mentored his successor for his first role as a head coach.

Now the highly-respected Barakat has taken on the job as Southern Districts head coach, the pair will go head to head when the Rebels play West Harbour in their crucial Shute Shield clash on Saturday at Concord Oval.

There will be no more fiercely contested game this weekend with the teams currently sitting on the bottom of the ladder and chasing their first win after four losses.

WORDS OF WISDOM

THE pair share an association which started in 1998 when Barakat coached Treloar in the NSW Schoolboys.

“I had a lot to do with him when he got the job at Wests, the transition and the handover was a really good one,” Barakat said.