Maryport Rugby League Club will go into the 2023 Cumberland ARL season with a new-look coaching team.
The club held a players’ meeting last night when the three-strong coaching group outlined their plans for next year.
Heading up the new coaching team is former captain Mark Foster, who will be joined by another ex-Maryport player in Simon Pattinson and former Workington Town professional Brett Smith.
Of the new trio, a club spokesman said: “Together they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to a young side with heaps of potential.
“The coaches are already prepared for pre-season and are more than ready for the challenge ahead.
“We look forward to the upcoming season and know the new coaches have the ability to take the team to the next level.”
Head coach Foster, 38, is a one-club man who first joined the Maryport club as an 11-year-old. He won county honours at all youth levels and in 2008 toured Australia at open age level.
He was a member of BARLA Under-18s that played a home game with Australian Schoolboys and has toured France and New Zealand.
Foster started at prop, then played mainly at loose forward, before going back to prop and then being forced to retire in 2016 with a knee injury.
He has filled in as caretaker coach at Maryport on a couple of occasions when coaches have had to finish. In addition he has coached youth teams at Maryport from when he was 15 until he was 24.
A much respected player on the local circuit Foster was captain of the Maryport open age side for around ten years including the treble cup-winning season of 2013 and double cup-winning campaign of 2014 under Gary Murdock, now Workington Town’s director of rugby.
Assistant Pattinson started at Netherhall rugby union club before switching to rugby league and joining Dearham. But without playing a game he moved to Maryport aged 16.
He was then picked-up by the Workington Town Academy squad and while there got games with the A team at the time the club was in Super League.
When he moved back into the amateur game he had spells at Broughton Red Rose and Ellenborough before moving back to Maryport when former Town forward Luke Savelio was coach.
Pattinson skippered the side to the Second Division title and then Maryport had a succession of coaches – Frankie Akehurst, Martin Oglanby, Jonty Gorley and Colin Armstrong.
It was around then he joined the coaching team under Akehurst and Armstrong, and has particular regard for the coaching prowess of Oglanby.
He decided to take time away from the game but was tempted back to the club 18 months ago and has been involved in coaching the youth teams.
“I have worked under some excellent coaches, so have picked-up a good knowledge of the game. I can see Mark being a top coach and with the Maryport committee backing every youth team I think we can look forward to a positive future,” he said.
Smith, who will also be assisting Foster, is another player who has had a sound grounding in local amateur rugby league.
He started playing for Flimby when he was only 15 and won League Two with them as well as League Two cups and top four competitions.
He then signed for Lowca when his father Dave Smith went as coach and they won promotion.
He also joined Westfield but in between times was playing for Workington Town Academy and their A team. He returned to Town in 2003 for six years when he played 68 games (51 of them starts) and picked-up 27 tries and 36 goals.
Maryport look in good hands and the club will be hoping to make an impact in CARL next season following the departure of town rivals Ellenborough to the National Conference.
