Aust. league coach

Press, 18 December 1976, Page 56

Aust. league coach

By

JOHN COFFEY

Kaiapoi, by appointing an Australian, Terry Lucas,' will introduce an ' interesting newcomer to the Canterbury rugby league inter-club coaching scene next season. Lucas said yesterday that he was confident Kaiapoi, which finished fourth in the 1976 championship after being eliminated from the semi-finals by Hornby, would again be prominent when the 1977 premiership begins in April. However, he does not have the usual advantage of having been able to make a| previous evaluation of the; abilities of the players he will be coaching. “From what I have heard, there seems to be quite a lot of talent within the club. I know that John Greengrass has the experience and skill to produce forward play of great quality, but 1 have very little knowledge of the

[other members of the [squad,” Lucas said. Lucas was a stand-off half with two Sydney second division clubs, Blacktown and : Wentworthville, and in re- ! serve grade for Parramatta ; in the first division. He later coached the Blacktown ' under-21 side for three . years. The area manager of a

wig firm, Lucas was in Christchurch for a time in 1973 and attended several training runs with the Linwood club. However, he was transferred to Auckland in his employment before the season started, and has now returned to Christchurch on a permanent basis. Lucas replaces Bob Irvine — a former Kiwi test scrum-hal fwho has rejoined Marist-Westem Suburbs to guide its 19-years team — and it is of note that Irvine also had experience as a player and coach in New South Wales before his twoyear term with Kaiapoi. > The transfer of the highscoring outside back, Francis f Lawrence, from Kaiapoi to - Sydenham was described by 1 Lucas as "a tremendous ■ loss,” and his pre-season i problems have been further • aggravated because of the i necessity of the club’s most s constructive forward, Mark Fuller, to have surgery for a i severe knee injury.