Sullivan signed on last week. He was at the club's helm in 2019 when he took Wingham to the minor semi-final. Now he wants to be there in 2021 when he hopes Wingham's premiership drought comes to an end.

"It's going to be a big year for the club,'' he said.

"Hopefully we'll be able to nail down strong sides in all grades.''

Wingham will mark the 100^th anniversary of switching from rugby union to rugby league in 2021.

Sullivan will be 41 next year. Had 2020 gone anywhere near to normal this would have been his swansong to the game.

However. he's enjoying a year off following the decision to cancel the Group Three competition because of concerns at restrictions caused by the pandemic.

"That's freshened up my body,'' he said.

"I've missed the game, but my body hasn't. But I've had a talk to the club and I'm confident I'll be able to manage my body through one last season. This will be my last hurrah as a player though.''

Sullivan has also had a change of employment and now works at a sports college coaching rugby league fulltime. He lives on the Central Coast and admits the commute to Wingham for training and playing did have an impact last year.

"That means I get school holidays off, so I'll be able to come up to Wingham for training when I'm on holidays,'' he said.

He's also spoken to the majority of players from last season's roster.

"They all said they were happy for me to stay on, so that makes a difference,'' he said.

Sullivan expects most of last season's players will be back on deck again next year. He's already looking to help bolster the squad.

"I have a connection with a player in England. I'd love to get him out here, but that'll depend on whether he can travel and if we can get him a job,'' he said.

Sullivan believes there has to be a change of mindset among his players. He said they have to start believing they can match it with the northern clubs. No southern club has won a first grade premiership since 2011 when Forster-Tuncurry defeated Port City.

"We showed last year that we were the equal of those clubs. I'm not a coach who blames injuries, but it is a fact that we weren't at our strongest for the end of season games,'' he pointed out,

Sullivan was the main casualty as he was sidelined with an ankle injury and missed all the semi-final series. It was no coincidence that the Tigers struggled in his absence. Wingham finished second after the competition proper but dipped out of the race following losses to Wauchope and Port City in the finals series.

"We need all our players there for the big games. That's what you play for,'' he added.

He hopes to have a couple of training runs before the end of the year to get the players together. Wingham hasn't won a first grade premiership since 2003 and Sullivan said the Tigers are long overdue.

"A premiership in our centenary year. That would be perfect,'' he said.