Their father, the late Greg 'Whale' Coleman, was a former Penrith Panthers forward who moved to the Macleay Valley as a player-coach at the Kempsey Cowboys, now known as the Macleay Valley Mustangs.

The late Coleman was made a life member of the South West Rocks Surf Club in 1999 who formed a serious reputation for toughness and determination.

"He was built like a brick s**thouse," local Roger Knauer said of Coleman. The two used to coach junior rugby league together back in the day.

"As a coach in juniors he'd be up and down the paddock all day."

Former Group 2 NSW rugby league president, Central Kempsey premiership winner and Argus columnist Greg Mayhew: "He was a very good footballer, he certainly knew what being a forward was all about."

Growing up in the rugby league heartland of Kempsey, their father and grandfather former league players, it's no secret what sport brothers Scott, Matt, Grant and Darren Coleman were destined for.

"I'd grown up watching league and all the boys played," their mother Elaine told the Argus.

After Elaine and her husband managed the Halfway shop in Kempsey, they moved to South West Rocks in 1984 when Darren was 12.

Late in the piece the so called, 'game they play in heaven', became of interest for the Coleman brothers with the South West Rocks Gaolers rugby union club founded in 1990.

"They've all played sport continuously, then two (Scott and Darren) converted but they all ended up playing for the Gaolers - I remember Scott, Matt and Grant being apart of a 19's win," Elaine said.

"Darren had one year of union before going to university in Lismore."

"He had played league most of his life until he broke his arm and got into triathlons, then he went into rugby union in year 12 before going to university in Lismore and it's been rugby ever since."

There his interest in rugby union grew while studying Human Movement and Sports Science.

While playing first grade for the GoldRats at Southern Cross University he and Sean Hedger coached the colts side and in the process met and talked Justin Harrison into playing his first ever game of rugby, who went onto Wallabies glory.

"He played a lot of rugby there then got a job at Newcastle with NSW Rugby as a Development Officer and then coached ever since," Elaine recounted.

In 1998 and '99 he was involved in the NSW Waratahs Academy where he saw players like Dave Lyons, George Smith and Matt Dunning progress to the seniors ranks.

There's been a plethora of clubs ever since as Coleman said to the media recently.

"I've had more clubs than Tiger Woods so I know most of the people around the traps at Shute Shield and the beauty of rugby is 95per cent of rugby people are good people," he explained.

His career has taken him from Australia to Italy, Canada, Japan and now the USA with LA Giltinis.

Triumphs have included, a Shute Shield victory with Warringah in 2017, taking Gordon from the bottom of the ladder to Shute Shield 2020 winners in two years and the project he is currently undertaking with LA.

The Giltinis are a startup side in the Major League Rugby competition who finished first this year with 12 wins and four losses before winning the grand final today.

While kicking goals at LA, the vacant job at the NSW Waratahs came up when Rob Penney was sacked.

With the blessing of his current club, Coleman's application for the position was his second crack at the job after previously missing out.

The Waratahs made the correct decision and signed the South West Rocks man in early July.

Elaine said there was the usual emotions when she found out.

"It's funny because I was reading about it before being told, then obviously once confirmed we were very excited and proud of him," she recounted.

"He's been very busy since signing.

"He said this was always something he'd aspired to and wanted to do.

"That was his path since day one to get to that end result and he has.

"Any job he always puts in 150%, it's ridiculous, the amount of hours he's spent.

"I'm sure he's over there now doing lots of work for here and there."

Coleman's brothers are all still heavily involved in sport with Scott (Bubba) coaching the Hunter Wildfires in Shute Shield rugby and Grant bringing through the next wave of superstars at the Smithtown Tigers.

Matt is apart of the Forbes Magpies rugby league club in Group 11 and owns the Post Office Hotel where free beers were on sale when local boy Charlie Staines scored in his debut for the Panthers.

"They're super proud (of Darren), they often have a crack at him at Christmas time because he locks himself away on his laptop and the phone is constantly on his ear, they always give him stick about that but it's paid off," Elaine said.

Elaine mentioned how proud her late husband would be with the incoming Waratahs coach touching on that when speaking to the media after his appointment.

"My biggest mentor was my dad," he said.

"My dad was just a salt of the earth man who gave his time to people whether it be in rugby or the surf club.

"A lot of the lessons that he would teach you when you were young, a lot of sayings that he had, didn't hit home until I became an adult.

"He passed when he was 57 so he was young but he had me at 18 so we had a great long relationship.

"I've got four brothers and we were all into our footy and our surf club and our cricket and our swimming and we all left with really good work ethic.

"The interesting thing is that all four brothers are football coaches now all in varying levels.

"There was something in the water or something he instilled in it that we love giving back and coaching. He had a million sayings but the biggest one was 'earn your beer'. Once you've done a good day or trained hard, or you performed well on the field, it was time to relax and celebrate. That's how l build good team bonds."

After running the newsagency at Stuarts Point until March last year, Elaine now enjoys seeing her family whenever she can.

She said The Rocks will always be a special place for her son who visits yearly with his brothers and wife Pauline and children Jake and Ella.

"Darren and the family usually come here for four weeks over Christmas, he usually stays the longest, he loves it here," she explained.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he was here in 20 years in time, he's always classified this place as home."

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