It’s been five long years since David Telfer last wore the Stag, but the former Gordon junior is finally back at his home club.

Telfer will lead Gordon as Head Coach in 2026, in a role he’s described as the one which was always in his sights.  

“It’s surreal to be honest,” Telfer told Rugby News.

“One of the first things I had to do when I started was speak at a Colts information night, which was kind of a full circle moment. I was doing those ten years ago as the Colts coach, and now I’m the first grade coach.

“It’s a privilege to be given the opportunity to coach this club. It’s the job I wanted and its why I started coaching, so to be given the opportunity, I’m excited for it.”

A former Gordon colt himself, Telfer started his coaching career running the U20s program for the Highlanders, before moving to Eastwood in 2020 and taking over the first grade job for the last seasons.

Having now returned to where it all began, Telfer is eager to build on Gordon’s development as a club since his departure and reinforce to players just what it means to be a Stag.

“In terms of where we are at as a club, it’s not a ‘knock down, start again’ project,” he said.  

“This is a club which, through the works done by DC, Billy Melrose and Harry Fehily, is in a position to be competing for the club championship year-in-year out.  

“For me, it’s just about taking us to that next level and there’s a clear direction we need. Gordon is a club which needs to get a bit of a balance, and I think we’ve lost that element of hard work in the last few years. 

“Since starting pre-season, our focus has just been what’s worked for Gordon in the past – a bit of Gordon DNA. Getting back to doing some hard work together.”

Looking ahead to the 2026 season, the foundations are steady at Chatswood Oval. With a number of graduating Colts pushing into the top squad and several key players confirming their allegiance, Telfer’s whole-club approach is helping unite a group in what it means to be “Tartan Tough”.

“The pieces are there for Gordon, it’s just about bringing a few former juniors and ex-players back to the club,” Telfer said.

“We want to get back to our DNA, which is about being ‘Tartan Tough’ – that’s part of our identity. We’re getting back to the roots which have served us so well in our history.

“The main thing we want to do is get back to understanding why we are all at the club, which is to play for Gordon. And that’s why a lot of our coaching staff, including myself, have played for Gordon or been involved at the club in the past. Because when you understand what you’re playing for, there’s that genuine shared purpose and I think that’s important.

“We’ve got Ben Pollack not returning to MLR, Jack Hardy returning, obviously our leaders like Milan Basson and Tom Horan, and then we’ve got local guys like Lachie Albert returning back to his junior club. 

“In terms of the Colts coming up, I’m excited to see what guys like Sam Bourgeois, Angus Paterson and Aaron Neville-Smith can do in grade. Then we’ve got a good young Waratahs U19 centre Mitch Holmes who’s joined us, who looks like he will forego his second year of Colts and push into grade.”

And with eyes on key fixtures against 2025 grand finalists Eastern Suburbs and Warringah, Telfer is giving his players license to attack freely and trust their instincts in order to push for a finals spot in 2026.

“We’re looking forward to playing the top sides, teams like Easts and Warringah. They’re the games you want to play. We’ve got Warringah in round 2 down at Rat Park and we only play Easts once in the regular season, so we’ve definitely circled those,” Telfer told Rugby News.

“We need to go back to playing a bit more of an attractive style of play. I’m a big believer in players being able to take a swing at it; take the opportunity if they see it on the field.

“And I think playing with a bit of freedom will allow these boys to take the next step.”

With Chatswood Oval currently undergoing major works to revive the historic pitch, Gordon won’t run out at home next season until round 3 when they take on Randwick.

Having narrowly missed out on the top six last season, Gordon fans will be hoping Telfer’s desire to take the club back to its roots will also bring with it the success of old.