It’s been a successful year for Orange’s two Blowes Cup first grade rugby union clubs.

Perennial pacesetters Orange Emus will host the 2024 Blowes Cup grand final while Orange City went into semi-finals on the back of five straight wins but lost a thrilling knock-out final 23-17 against Forbes to finish fourth.

Greg Lee took the reins at Orange City and helped build the Lions into a semi-finalist.

Here, he elaborates on his coaching philosophies with Orange City Life.

Lee grew up in Sydney and described himself as a “straightforward” player who lined up in club rugby from the age of five until his early 30s.

However, with the clipboard, he blossomed.

His first taste of coaching came in high school. Lee built on that near the end of his playing days when he took over a Colts side.

“I’ve always been passionate about the game,” Lee wrote in an email interview conducted at the end of the regular season.

“I’m definitely a student of the game, a bit of a rugby tragic really... Ultimately, if someone needed a hand, I was always willing to help out.”

He coached at Shute Shield clubs Warringah Rats, Gordon Highlanders and Western Sydney Two Blues along with Waverley and Newport at the Sydney Suburban level.

In juniors, he coached at Clovelly Eagles, an emerging Sydney team in representative rugby and was involved in the Junior Gold representative development program at New South Wales Rugby Union.

“Coaching from the lowest grade to the highest and everything in between has shaped my approach and style, and I believe continual learning is crucial,” Lee wrote.

“The more I learn, the more I realise there’s plenty more to understand and improve upon.”

So, how did Lee come to Orange and Orange City?

Originally from Sydney, Lee moved to Orange at the start of the year, quickly finding a home at Orange City.

After the first 10 rounds of 2024, Orange City had a 3-7 win-loss record, but then rocketed into the finals on the back of five straight wins. Prior to Lee joining the club, first grade had only won five out of the last 45 games they’d played.

“There’s no secret sauce to our turnaround in the last five rounds; it boiled down to good old-fashioned hard work and trusting the process we had in place,” Lee said.

“Simple things like our catch pass and running lines to calling the right options in certain parts of the field and at critical points in the game. When you get that stuff right you’ll win games.

“It was definitely a slower start than I would have liked, but aside from a couple of games, we were always in the fight... We stuck to our playing shape, kept refining the details and embraced the catchphrase: ‘We keep sharpening the axe.’”

But Lee says Orange City’s improvement in 2024 has been a collective effort and said he’s been fortunate to have worked alongside the likes of club president Chris Whittaker, vice presidents Damen Bracey, Darren Wooding and Chris Weston and of course the club’s financial controller Nikita Bourke.

“For a coach to run a rugby program, alignment with the club committee is crucial... At Orange City, I’ve been very fortunate to work alongside incredibly astute operators who bring their business acumen and man-management skills to the table,” Lee said.

“I just love how each of them just want to see the club thrive.”

Orange City’s season may have come to an end but Lee is predicting big things from the club in 2025.

“We’re definitely not the finished product but the whole club has come a long way this season and I am expecting them to get better as time goes on.”