THE Wauchope Blues have announced stalwart Aaron Ison as their first grade coach for the 2016 season.
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Ison is a long-serving player of the club, but will hang up the playing boots as he looks to rebuild the once unbeatable Blues.
Normally playing in the halves, Ison has a big reputation around league circles for his experience in the game and his passion for the Wauchope community.
Coaching is something he said he has wanted to do for a while.
"It's great to be able to coach my home town," he said.
"At this stage I'm not looking at playing in 2016.
"We have a good side and there's no need for me to play really.
"We have lost a few senior players, but have some good U18 players coming through from our premiership winning side."
A few of those players will step up to the mark while the club is in discussions with a few players, including the potential return of a former star forward.
"I think it's fair to say that we are still rebuilding," Ison said.
"We won't set the world on fire straight away and it won't be a short-term process, I'll be sticking around for some time.
"I think if we set our goal to be a top five team I expect that to be realistic enough."
The Sharks and Breakers will be the two teams to beat according to the man they call 'Buzz', but if a couple of the player negotiations come to fruition the Blues will be well on track to returning to powerhouse status.
They also have a new president, Brad Hinton, who believes Ison is an excellent choice for coach.
"Buzz has been a long time campaigner for Wauchope," he said.
"He's certainly a big supporter of the club and a very experienced player.
"Aaron is at the right age to get into coaching.
"I think his experience and the fact he is very much a people person will enhance our club."
