Ethan Bereyne appointed captain-coach of Orange United Warriors for 2023 Woodbridge Cup season

He considers them family and it's why he'll be back in the teal and black next season, this time as captain-coach.

"Most of my family has moved back to Cobar and the family I do have here is with Kurt (Beahan) and his partner - I grew up with heaps of the boys that play at Warriors," he said.

Along with the bond he shares with the group, Bereyne identified coaching as something he 'eventually wanted to do' with the timing now right.

Warriors stalwart Kurt Beahan believes it's the perfect match for where the second-rower is at in his career.

"Ethan was part of our squad when we were initially established three years ago, he showed those leadership skills within that first year at the club," he said.

"It was always obvious he'd end up at Hawks or CYMS with a first grade contract given we didn't have the funds to keep blokes like that around. Years down the track we're still in a position where we're not funding coaches so we're looking at other ways we can benefit the players.

"For Ethan, he's really close mates with a lot of our squad ... he's in a position in his career where he's keen to take on a coaching role."

As Beahan mentioned, Bereyne won't be unfamiliar with the Warriors jersey, having played for the club in 2020.

In that year, United were knocked out against Oberon in the preliminary final, ironically the same fate they suffered this year in their maiden Woodbridge Cup season. The incoming captain-coach is determined to improve on those results.

"My goal to go one further on that and hopefully win the competition," he said.

Beahan backed up Bereyne's ambition but admitted commitment needs to improve if the club are to reach the pinnacle of Woodbridge Cup.

"Ethan is a standout in the Group 10 competition so it's guys like that we wanted to target ... we feel Ethan will be a huge part of our success moving forward of hopefully gaining a title in Woodbridge Cup," he said.

"Ethan as coach will hopefully attract some new and fresh players to the club ... we've lacked in commitment the last few years - there's plenty of talent, that's no secret - but it's more about the commitment side of things where we've struggled.

"Biggest challenge for Ethan is getting boys to commit ... it's all guns blazing for the first few rounds, injuries kick in, we lose players and training fades away. The talent is there, but to win a competition and make grand finals, we need everyone on the same page, and committed.

"If we can get commitment, I'm confident we've got the coach - Ethan's playing ability speaks for itself, it's coaching where he'll need some guidance from myself and Jake Kelly and blokes like that. We've got a really good mix there now with Ethan as coach, and I'm confident we can go two steps further."

Having played for Cargo in 2017 of Woodbridge Cup after a stint of under 20s in Canberra, Bereyne is no stranger to the competition.

Appearances for Orange CYMS and Warriors have followed but this'll be the second-rowers first venture into coaching.

After playing under some experienced country footballers in Steve 'Boof' Lane and Daniel Mortimer, Bereyne won't be afraid to ask for advice from those he's learnt from.

"I've got a few mates that have been in coaching roles before like (Cowra Magpies co-coach) Jack Buchanan and Morts (Daniel Mortimer), if I ever get stuck with anything I'll flick them a message" he said.

"(I learnt) quite a lot from Morts, he really pointed out the small details, helped with explaining why some parts of the game work and why some don't."

With Jake Kelly finishing up in the coaching role for Orange United Warriors this year, Beahan added the former leader will give his 'full support' of Bereyne, and both men hope he'll be able to contribute in some capacity next season.

As for star recruit Josh Dugan, Beahan was unsure whether he'll appear in a Warriors jersey next year but did say they were able to coax him out of retirement for the recent Dubbo knockout.

"I'll never say never but it is highly unlikely," he said.

Orange United Warriors will be hosting a meet and greet event at the Ophir Hotel at 4pm on Saturday.