David Waite

C’bury junior played in the club's President's Cup team in 1969 before moving to Wests Wollongong the following year. The talented winger represented Country and NSW in 1973 before winning a place on the Kangaroo Tour. Waite went on to play in four Tests on tour before spending two seasons with the Sharks in the mid-1970s. After scoring 3 tries in the Kangaroos v. The Rest match at the beginning of the 1974 season, he broke his jaw and missed the early rep season. Waite returned to the Test team for the opening match of the Ashes series but was dropped following Australia’s 16-11 Second Test loss. In 1975 he suffered a serious knee injury which forced him into premature retirement the following year. Coaxed by fellow teacher and former Wollongong Wests coach Warren Ryan into making a comeback Waite played with Wests in 1978 but the move was short-lived. Turning to coaching, he was in charge of the unbeaten Australian Schoolboys (1984-86), C’bury’s U’23s (1985-87) and Newcastle’s reserve grade teams (1988-91). As understudy to Allan McMahon at the Knights, Waite stepped into the first grade role when McMahon resigned during the 1991 season. Quietly-spoken and analytical in his approach, Waite took the Knights to the 1992 semi-finals for the first time with a bright, attacking style of football. After the club's downward turn during the 1993-94 seasons he was replaced by former Great Britain coach Mal Reilly. Following St George coach Rod Reddy’s exit prior to the start of the 1996 season Waite was recommended to the vacant position by former Kangaroo team-mate Bob Fulton. In a year that exceeded expectations Waite took the club to the grand final (where, ironically, the Dragons were beaten by Fulton’s Manly team). The logical choice as coach for the newly merged St George I’warra club the Dragons were unluckily beaten in the 1999 grand final. Following the club’s poor start to the 2000 season Waite chose to step down as coach in favour of former I’warra coach Andrew Farrar. In 2001 he was controversially named coach of the Great Britain Test team (his mother was English) but the Lions did not enjoy Ashes or World Cup success under his guidance and he was eventually replaced by Brian Noble.