Former Eden premiership player and Hay coach Phil Crosby put it to the young full-back while he was enjoying a day out at the Riverina race meet.

“I had a think about it, but didn’t really take it seriously at first,” Whitehead said.

“But I decided to have a crack and here I am.”

Whitehead, 26, did not travel alone, bringing his two younger brothers, Matt and Toby, as well as three other friends to George Brown Oval.

The first-time captain-coach said he was slightly nervous to take the reins.

“Initially it was a bit daunting,” Whitehead said.

“A lot of the blokes are older than me and here I am telling them what to do, but they’ve responded well.

“It’s all been pretty smooth from the start.”

As well as studying coaching guides, Whitehead said he will draw on the experience of last year’s leader Michael Wykes.

On the field, Whitehead has not missed a beat since his junior days at Hay.

He played for South Newcastle and had a stint with Cooma over the past seven years while completing a Bachelor of Construction Management at the University of Newcastle.

Whitehead hopes the combination of the new and old players will lead to success in 2017.

“There’s been a good turnout over pre-season training, a few times more than what we had during the middle of last season,” he said.

“There’s a strong vibe around with everyone training hard, so with the amount of players we’ll aim to go far.

“Finals in a minimum.”

Winning will come from the enjoyment of playing the game, Whitehead said.

“I want to have the team bonding. If we enjoy playing together then results will come from that.”

- The Eden Tigers Rugby League Club will hold its Jersey Draw on Saturday, March 4 from 6pm at the Great Southern Inn. Interested jersey sponsors should contact the club.