The man who delivered the Young Cherrypickers their most emotional and long-awaited victory in a generation—the drought-breaking premiership—is saying goodbye to the Group Nine heartland.
Tom Giles, the imposing front-rower who transformed himself into a highly-touted young coach, is trading the regional NSW challenge for the bright lights of the NRL pathways system, calling the opportunity “too good not to give it a crack.”
After three seasons with Young, including the last two as the club’s celebrated captain-coach, the 24-year-old is officially on the move to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
Giles has secured the head coaching position for Manly’s Harold Matthews Cup (Under 17s) side, with the promise of a far greater immersion into the club’s senior ranks. Beyond the junior coaching duties, he is slated to take on an assistant coaching role with the Sea Eagles’ NSW Cup team, placing him squarely within the professional development pipeline.
“I was offered a coaching gig at Manly to coach their Harold Matthews side, which I have taken up, so I’m back living at home to coach the Harold Matts, and then they want me to do New South Wales Cup assistant coach after that finishes,” Giles confirmed, barely concealing his excitement.
For Giles, the shift marks a rapid pivot from player-coach to full-time mentor in a structured, elite environment. While he admitted the local club provided a more substantial salary, the appeal of professional development was overwhelming.
“It’s a foot in the door, and it’s a professional system at the end of the day, too. Everyone wants to be there, and you are coaching young kids, and you are in a professional sort of environment,” he explained.
“I’m only 24, so who knows what’s going to happen, but it was too good not to give it a shot as I really found my love of coaching in the two years I’ve been doing it.”
The Unforgettable Young Legacy
Giles’s departure closes a hugely successful, albeit brief, chapter in Young’s rugby league history. His arrival mid-way through the 2023 season, straight out of the South Sydney Rabbitohs’ NSW Cup squad, was the catalyst for an immediate turnaround. Taking on the demanding captain-coach role, Giles quickly stamped his presence on the club, injecting professionalism and belief into a playing group desperate for success.
The culmination of that first season was legendary: he led the Cherrypickers to their first Group Nine premiership in 33 long years. The victory wasn’t just a title; it was an emotional release for a town that had waited through decades of near misses, including just two Grand Final appearances since their last success in 1991.
Giles is clear that no future achievement is likely to diminish the memory of that triumph. “What we did last year will never be forgotten by a lot of us,” he reflected. “It is probably the best moment I’ve had in football so far, and I think the town can say the same.”
The following season, 2025, presented a far more challenging landscape. Plagued by injuries and the inherent difficulty of backing up a premiership win, the Cherrypickers fought hard but ultimately fell in the preliminary final to eventual premiers Gundagai. However, Giles took immense pride in how the team responded to adversity.
“This year we had was pretty challenging with the injuries and whatnot, but we got through that, and I couldn’t be more prouder of the development of the boys and all those junior kids who were coming through,” he said.
The need to mentor and develop those younger players was, ironically, what cemented his passion for coaching and guided his decision to accept the Manly role.
The Call from Seibold
The chance to transition from country coaching success to an NRL club environment was not accidental; it came through a deep-rooted connection within the game. Giles revealed the Manly opportunity arose through Craig Walker, the club’s new Head of Football Pathways.
“There’s a new boss at the pathways Manly, and going full circle signed me at the Roosters when I was 14 to play,” Giles explained, highlighting the long-standing relationship. Walker, who also has family ties to Young, was aware of Giles’s achievements in Group Nine and quickly identified him as a rising coaching talent. Walker wasted no time in pushing Giles forward.
“He said, ‘mate, I think you’re quality, you’re young, I will get you in front of Seibold, and I really want you to coach, and we will see how we go,'” Giles recalled. The ensuing meeting with Manly’s NRL head coach, Anthony Seibold, proved decisive.
“I went for a meeting a couple of weeks ago, and Seibold really likes me and wants me down there and around the first grade team and cup and then coach the Harold Matts boys, so I’ve taken that on,” Giles said.
The access to the top-tier coaching staff and the first-grade system is perhaps the most valuable component of the move for Giles, who is keen to absorb all he can.
“If Seibold likes me, I can move along with him if he hopefully keeps his job.”
Balancing Boots and Clipboard
Despite the immediate full-time focus on coaching, Giles hasn’t completely hung up his boots. Having moved back to Sydney midway through the 2025 season, he will be keeping his hand in the local game to maintain his fitness and connection to the playing side of the sport.
“When it doesn’t clash, I’ll just be playing with my local club, the (Coogee) Wombats, just to keep fit and help them out, I guess,” Giles confirmed. “That will just be to help my local club out.”
This arrangement allows him to keep what he refers to as his “brain there” on the field, which will only benefit his coaching prowess as he guides Manly’s junior talent.
The Next Chapter
Giles’s swift ascent highlights the growing recognition of high-performing coaches outside the immediate NRL bubble. His impact on Young—the revitalisation of a proud club and the delivery of an unforgettable premiership—means he departs with the utmost respect and gratitude from the community. He emphasised that his ties to Young remain strong, and he left on the best possible terms with the club’s hierarchy.
“I’m still in contact with the boys at Young, and I’m still helping them out where I can and getting some ideas for players and what they need there,” he said. With the Cherrypickers now scrambling to find a replacement for their highly successful former leader, Giles is actively assisting the club president by passing on names and potential players. He expects the coaching matter to be resolved within the coming weeks. But for now, the focus is entirely on the new beginning on the Northern Beaches.
Tom Giles has found his calling in the coach’s box, and a professional rugby league club has given him the stage to prove his worth. “It is something that I couldn’t pass up on,” he reiterated, ready to tackle the demands of the NRL pathways.
– Tully Potts
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