Greater Western Sydney is hoping some of the fighting qualities Simon Katich displayed over his impressive cricketing career can be passed down to the young GIANTS via his new mentoring role.
Katich, who made more than 4000 runs in his 56-Test match career for Australia between 2001-10, has been appointed GWS' development coordinator.
He has acted as a mentor to young GIANT Stephen Coniglio this year and the midfielder is looking forward to the rest of his teammates benefiting from Katich's experience.
"It's fantastic for the footy club," Coniglio said on Wednesday.
"I've worked with Simon a little bit this year and even though he's been halfway across the world in England, there wouldn’t have been a weekend that he didn't shoot me a text and ask how things were going.
"If you look over his career, a lot of his best performances have been backs-against-the-wall stuff.
"That sort of hard work and resilient qualities he possesses hopefully can rub off on the majority of the playing group."
Coniglio, like Katich, had to relocate from his home state of Western Australia to Sydney for his sporting career.
A former NSW captain, Katich will deliver programs and initiatives to deliver on and off-field leadership.
He will also be involved in the selection and development of the leadership group.
A big AFL fan who barracked for Richmond while growing up in WA, Katich believes the mental application he often displayed during his cricket career can translate into other sports.
"It's a huge thrill for me. It's a sport that I love and I grew up playing as a kid," he said.
"As much as I love cricket, AFL has always been a big part of my life as well.
"I've had good and bad experiences in cricket, whether it's with form, selection, injuries, all that sort of stuff.
"Whether it's cricket or football, those sort of mindset things can affect the way you play and the way you prepare.
"That's something hopefully I can bring to the table."
Katich may also be used as a runner on game days and new Giants head coach Leon Cameron is pleased to have him on board.
"There are a number of things we're looking at," Cameron said.
"It's really surprising how much Simon actually knows about our game.
"It's great he's got a relationship with Stephen Coniglio, he's been mentoring him for the last year or so, who knows where this leads to.
"That (being a runner) is a possibility, our leadership program, mentoring our young kids – he's been in a high-performance environment, captained NSW and played for Australia.
"That rubbing off on our players can only be valuable for us."
The holder of a commerce degree from the University of Western Australia, Katich will start in his new role fulltime in February once his commitments with the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash competition are over.
He will be working closely with Cameron, football manager Graeme Allan and new Slater & Gordon GIANTS academy coach Mark McVeigh.
