By Adam Sheldon

When Phil Mooney talks about Queensland club rugby, people stop talking and listen.

A former Queensland Reds and Australian Under 19 head coach – and a premiership winner at Wests – Mooney has lived and breathed the game since first lacing up his boots as a five-year-old for the Bulldogs.

His coaching career has spanned Premier Rugby, Super Rugby, overseas success in Japan and international experience with Australian junior teams, giving him a perspective few can match at this level.

The reputation as one of Queensland rugby’s sharpest minds is precisely why Norths moved to appoint him as director of rugby – a decision head coach Dan Ritchie described as the biggest appointment in the club’s history and one of the most significant coups in Queensland Premier Rugby.

For Mooney – who is synonymous with Wests – the move, he admitted, was an intriguing one.

“I’m a Wests boy and I’ve played against Norths or coached against Norths for more than 35 years,” he said.

“You always have a perception from the outside. But when you get inside, you realise the foundations are strong – the board, the catchment, the facilities, the junior base.

“There are green shoots everywhere.”

Mooney arrives at Norths following a successful stint at Wests as director of rugby, where he also coached the colts to a premiership, helped deliver a Bulldogs club championship for the first time in 25 years, and oversaw five premierships across the club.

Rather than staying put, he was drawn by a fresh challenge – and by the opportunity to work closely with Ritchie.

“I felt like Wests had a great year and things were going really well,” the former Queensland Reds head coach said.

“I’d gotten to know Dan through my time as director of rugby at Brisbane Grammar. He’s a young coach, and under him Norths have shown real improvement over the last couple of years. I was impressed, and it all happened pretty quickly.”

Working across the entire rugby program at Norths, Mooney is keen to build on the club’s long-standing, attack-first philosophy.

“Historically, Norths were teachers – young teachers coming through teachers’ college – so the DNA was fitness, keeping the ball in hand and playing running rugby,” he said.

“Dan’s teams still play a fast, transitional game. The game has changed and kicking is crucial now, but from the outside Norths have always been dangerous.”

Strengthening the club’s defensive edge is another key focus, with Mooney clear on where the biggest gains can be made.

“Across the club, Norths can score points – we saw that last year,” he said.

“The area we can grow is contact and defence. There were times last season where games became shootouts.”

That emphasis feeds directly into the club’s ambitions.

At a whole-of-club level, the club championship remains a key measure of success. In terms of the Hospital Cup, Mooney is also chasing silverware. 

“If you enter a competition, you have to aim to win it,” he said.

“Norths were close to the finals last year. The squad is full of players who were once inexperienced but have now played between 40 and 70 Premier Grade games. They’re still young, but they’re experienced – and we’ve got to capitalise on that.”