Super Rugby Pacific: Western Force coach Simon Cron not thinking about expiring contract as new season begins

Western Force coach Simon Cron says he is far more focused on helping his side achieve a historic-first Super Rugby Pacific finals appearance than his expiring contract. Cron has entered his fourth campaign with a spring in his step and believes the squad-building process he began when he first took charge ahead of the 2023 season is set to bear fruit. Outside of truncated Super Rugby formats, the Force are yet to play finals in their history — and Cron has his sights set on breaking that drought. Cron signed a two-year extension to his initial two-year deal in 2024, but told The West Australian he was not thinking about its expiration at season’s end. Instead, Cron said he wanted to invest all his energy into the final preparations for the season, which begins against the Brumbies at HBF Park on Saturday. He said he was fully committed to the Force and all he wanted for the upcoming season was to bring success to the club. “I’m not a contract coach, and what I mean by that is I don’t want to sign three or four-year contracts and get comfortable,” Cron said. “I prefer to just leave a little bit of razor sharpness in the background — it never slows you up. “The club leaders are brilliant this year, they’re passionate about the club and I love the club. I just want them to be successful. “Whatever I do has got to be around setting them up for for success this year and I’m so laser-focused on each game.” Only eight players remain with the Force from Cron’s 2023 squad: Carlo Tizzano, Jeremy Williams, Tom Robertson, Hamish Stewart, Bayley Kuenzle, Kane Koteka, Marley Pearce and Henry Robertson. In that time, the Force have added Wallabies like Kurtley Beale, Ben Donaldson, Darcy Swain, Dylan Pietsch and Brandon Paenga-Amosa, while Tizzano, Williams, Stewart and back-rower Nick Champion de Crespigny have all made their Test debuts following their move out west. After tight five injuries and an unforgiving travel schedule derailed last season’s promising start, Cron said he felt the depth now at the club was as good as it ever had been. “As a player group, I see the leadership within the group way higher than we’ve ever had before, and I see the player depth has definitely developed,” he said. “Last year and the year before, my biggest concern is tight five forward depth, even outside back depth, whereas I feel like we’re in a better position than we have been, so that we don’t get to halfway through the season and have to go find players from somewhere to go in the front row.”