Workies stalwart Graeme Osborne will return to coaching the club’s premier grade after spending two years focussed on the development of Lithgow’s junior players. 

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He coached the premier league team in the Group 10 between 2009-2015, taking the side to their last premiership in 2012. 

Player-coach Chris Rhodes has indicated he will be taking a year off the side for a possible return in 2019. 

Joe Inzitari and John Legge will resume their 2017 positions as coaches of the reserve grade and women’s league tag sides respectively. 

Kyle Egan has been named coach of an under 18s side, after the club failed to field a junior team in the Group 10 last year. Mr Osborne said he was optimistic about the club’s standing in the future. 

“I feel refreshed. The past two years I’ve shifted my focus a little to the development of junior players because I saw the possibility of a hiatus of players coming through now some of the the older players like Jono, Brendo and Stricko are thinking about retiring.

“It’s been great to come back through to the under 16s and Lithgow Storm to improve the younger players skills further with their coaches.”

Mr Osborne said he was particularly impressed with the progression of younger players Riley Allan, who was named the club’s Player of the Year, and Nick Miller who Osborne coached in the under 18s side in 2016.

He said the 2018 premier side’s main aims for the year would be a team decision.

“Try and improve on what's occurred in the last couple of years, that’s always your main aim, to continually improve and develop the players as a team and individually.

“It’s a decision for a team environment, sitting down and deciding as a group what your goals are for the year and moving on from that. Saying that I would still definitely like to win.

“The big strength of the team is the number of players that are around,” he said.