Two weeks later and he is no longer head coach. It is unclear why this is the case, with Belconnen remaining tight-lipped and The Canberra Times unable to contact Logan.

Following this decision both Zac Patch and Jake Hawkins were awarded player-coach roles at the club. It is something no one would have predicted at the start of the season while the pair were playing for the Mackay Cutters in the Queensland Cup.

It has been a whirlwind few weeks for the pair, Patch and Hawkins only debuting for the first grade side in their round nine victory against Yass Magpies.

After playing for the Gungahlin Bulls in 2021, Patch was a massive signing for the Belconnen club when he put pen to paper last September. A chance to play for Mackay arose, with the Sharks not standing in his way of pushing for higher honours.

"It was a really positive transition from the Sharks to Mackay. They supported me the whole way," he said.

"It was never a question of which club I wanted to play for when I came back."

That goodwill from Belconnen was repaid when the Englishman opted to leave Queensland early, returning home to Canberra with his young family to be closer to their support network.

With the Sharks securing only two wins from their opening eight rounds, Patch's return was welcomed, as was the man he brought with him.

A former understudy to Cameron Smith and an experienced NSW Cup player, Hawkins was convinced to come to the Sharks by Hatch after the pair created a bond on the Queensland coast.

"I said to him that we had a great relationship, we have played together a few times and really enjoyed it. I thought we could do great things together," he said.

"I got straight on the phone and said that I knew this great halfback with lots of experience. I was just keen to get him onboard."

Signing the two players has worked a treat, the Sharks defeating Yass and Goulburn comfortably before falling to a rejuvenated Queanbeyan Kangaroos last round.

Patch didn't believe it was the skill of the pair that had helped turn their fortunes around, rather their experience.

"The experience takes some pressure off the likes of Matt Woolnough, Fenno [Shaun Fensom] and those blokes. They can just worry about their game, and there are more experienced players out there than there have been in the past," he said.

"For the young boys to be able to learn off myself, Jake and Fenno, I think we all work really well together."

While playing for the Sharks was the original plan, when the chance arose to be player-coach it was too good for Patch to refuse.

"The next step in my career was that I wanted to be player-coaching," he said.

"They have given me that opportunity now, so I just need to prove over the next few weeks why I should have it long term."

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The Sharks have a big few rounds on the horizon, coming up against the Tuggeranong Bushrangers in round 12, before reigniting their cross-town rivalry with West Belconnen Warriors a week later.

The side has not lost hope of making a push into the finals, with wins in these fixtures crucial to move up the ladder.

"To be in those top spots we need to be winning football games. We have won two of the last three games and the maths is still with us to make the finals. We just need to keep winning and going week by week."

Round 12, first grade, Saturday, 3pm: Gungahlin v Yass, Gungahlin Enclosed. Belconnen United v Tuggeranong, NSWRL HQ, Bruce. Woden Valley v Queanbeyan Kangaroos, Phillip Oval. Sunday, 3pm: Goulburn City v West Belconnen, Workers Arena. Bye: Queanbeyan Blues.

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