Matt Gainey has been appointed coach of the Border Bushrangers representative team for the 2016 season.

Gainey was captain-coach of the Inglewood Roosters team which made three successive grand finals in the Border Rugby League and won two.

He played the past two seasons with the Warwick Cowboys and was captain-coach of the A-grade team which made last season’s finals series.

At the end of last season, he announced his retirement and is non-playing coach of the Bushrangers this season.

Gainey was previously Border coach for one season when he was playing at Inglewood.

Border president Norm Crisp welcomed the appointment of Gainey.

“Matt has a lot of experience and would know a lot of the players from when he played in the Border Rugby League,” Crisp said.

“He will be the main selector along with one representative from each club.”

The Bushrangers squad will be named after Gainey and his co-selectors watch the games in the annual round robin at Stanthorpe on March 19.

All five clubs will field men’s teams in the round robin.

Each team will have two games and the top-two on wins and or for-and-against will make the final.

The first footy for the season in the BRL will be a week earlier on March 12 when the women’s league tag teams play at Tenterfield in a round robin as part of a day when the Border under-18 men’s team will play its first game in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition.

For the first time, Border is fielding an U18 side and Crisp is upbeat about the team’s hopes after a strong show-up at a weekend camp.