New BMD Premiership coaches of 2024: Paul Brown and Paul Nieuwenhuyzen
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Season 2024 of the BMD Premiership is upon us and there are some talented fresh faces among the coaching ranks.
Four clubs have appointed new head coaches, while the Sunshine Coast Falcons and Western Clydesdales join the competition for the first time.
In this edition we talk to Brisbane Tigers coach Paul Brown - who is a co-coach with Paul Nieuwenhuyzen - about their first season in charge, how they're determined to help develop the next generation, and their long working relationship.
Coaching history
Brown and Nieuwenhuyzen met in 2009 when they were asked to enter the South East Queensland pathways by development officer, Steve Brown.
They worked together with South East division manager Michael Pease, coaching the under 13s, 14s and 16s boys programs until 2019.
During this time, Brown was asked by Pease to also work in the female game, which he started doing in 2017.
Both Brown and Nieuwenhuyzen coached at the QAS, looking after the Under 15 Boys Emerging Squad, while also acting as coach (Brown) and assistant coach (Nieuwenhuyzen) for the under 18s female squad.
They were appointed assistant coaches to the Queensland Sapphires and Rubys in 2021 and 2022, with Nieuwenhuyzen continuing on in 2023.
When it comes to the Tigers, Nieuwenhuyzen has been there since 2021, supporting the female program while also acting as assistant coach to the BMD Premiership side and head coach of the Harvey Norman Under 19 squad.
Brown meanwhile arrived at Tigers HQ in 2022 to assist with both the BMD Premiership and Harvey Norman Under 19 teams.
Q&A with Paul Brown
How does it feel to be promoted to the head coaching roles at the Brisbane Tigers?
It's a real honour to coach at the Tigers and be given our opportunity. It's even more wonderful to do it with someone you really care about, someone you consider a close friend. Because we've been coaching for so long, we have the same coaching philosophies and know what each other is thinking at any given time. Some people would describe us an old married couple.
What is your coaching philosophy?
Our coaching philosophy is development over winning. We definitely don't go down the path of "win at all costs". That goes to show with our squad at the moment for 2024. It's predominantly new players to the club and a lot of our juniors that have come through the pathway program. We have a dozen (Harvey Norman Under) 19s available for selection in BMD, which we're really excited about.
Who would you say is your mentor or strongest influence in coaching?
It would probably be Michael Pease. Peasey gave us a lot of opportunities and he was also just really instrumental in shaping us as development coaches. When you come into those pathways, you feel an indication of your coaching ability is if the team wins. Peasey was able to explain early on the role of a development coach and the outcomes the QRL were looking for in their development programs.
What are your first impressions of your squad?
First impressions of the squad for the year ahead is that there is a lot of opportunity for players. There's a lot of players probably seeking a bit of redemption. They're coming from other clubs where they were sitting behind another player and are looking for an opportunity and we welcome them with open arms. It's the ability to watch those players come through a pathway we've worked really hard to create. We're excited to see the opportunity for every one of our contracted players.
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What are your goals for season 2024?
Our goals for season 2024 is to help our players individually achieve their individual goals while achieving some team goals along the way. We'd like to be there at the back end of the season pushing to play semi-finals football. But we won't do that at the cost of our players.
Who within your squad will make their mark in 2024?
This is hard because we have so many players in our squad but if I was going to pick two players, I really think Narikah Orchard will have an impact on the competition this year. I felt in 2022 she was a new player and made an impression. She was injured throughout the year last year and she still managed to make the (Brisbane) Broncos (NRLW) squad but I really feel that a fit Narikah is going to make her mark on the competition. She could be quite devastating when she believes in herself and executes to 100 per cent. Another player would be Tanika Marshall. Tanika returns to the Tigers after taking time off for motherhood. She's returned with a resilience and determination that we haven't seen before so I'm really excited to see what 2024 brings for her.
