The former Super League coach has been appointed head coach of the Dragons first grade team who kick off their season in the Southern Premiership in May.

The ambitious Gillingham-based club see the appointment of Powell as another significant step in their development and the ex-Harlequins RL coach is looking forward to the challenge.

“It was an opportunity that came out of the blue,” said Powell. “I got a phone call from Martin Coyd asking for a chat and there was an opportunity to work with the first team there. It was something I jumped at.

“Predominantly it’s going to be coaching the men’s senior team but I’d hope that the stuff well be doing will filter through. There’ll certainly be some remit for me to try and do a bit of coach development and help the other coaches there, so everyone’s moving forward together.”

Sheffield-born Powell has a long history of coaching in London and the South East. In 2004 he became a community sports coach in the capital and eventually head coach of South London Storm, who won the National Conference championship in 2006.

He founded the Brixton Bulls club and later became head coach of Harlequin RL's Foundation (Under16) Academy side. In 2007 he joined the first grade coaching team under Brian McDermott and when McDermott moved to the Leeds at the end of the 2010 season, Powell, at 30, became the youngest coach in Super League.

Since leaving the club in July 2012 he’s also worked in rugby union most notably with Welsh club the Cardiff Blues. So what attracted him to the Medway job?

“Martin and the people he’s got there have a lot of drive about what they’re trying to achieve. Everyone knows the vision they’ve had and the success they’ve achieved and I think it’s a natural step for them.

“It fits in well with me. I live in Bromley, so it’s not too far to Gillingham. I’m committed to living down here and Rugby League down here so when the opportunity came it was one that I was really excited about.

“When I was approached by them it made sense to me because I like what they’re doing, what they’re trying to do and I think there’s some mileage in it.”

Having worked mainly with professional rugby players in recent years, how much of a challenge will it be working in the amateur side of the game? “For me, whether you’re coaching under sevens or first grade professionals, it’s coaching.

“I get enjoyment out of it if you’re working with a group who want to learn, want to develop and you can see progress. I do some stuff for Newham Dockers with their under -15s and they won a game last week – that’s what you do it for, to see people develop.

“My past was in development and then junior performance so hopefully those things and my experiences with top flight, first grade stuff and even my rugby union things have made me a more rounded coach and I can use those experiences to help the guys.”

One of the first decisions he’s made is to go for a six-week pre-season rather than their usual four and also move up from one to two training sessions a week.

“Regardless of what happens this year, and in keeping with what the club’s trying to achieve, I think we’ve got to raise the bar a little bit. I felt that was the right course of action in order to step it up.”

So what are his goals and ambitions with the Dragons? “There’s natural ambition for the club in terms of where they want to be in the next five years and they’ve got to achieve a certain playing standard in order to achieve that.

“The on-field playing capacity has got to match what’s happening off the field but that’s not just about results and winning or not winning leagues, that’s about the mentality towards an environment created around the first team.

“It’s about people seeing it as an option and, in time, somewhere where they can play semi-professional Rugby League. It’s about developing a base there and also it being somewhere where people want to go and play. It’s a double edged thing, making it a premier club for Kent but also giving people from other parts of London another option, which traditionally it probably hasn’t been.”

Courtesy of londonrugbyleague.co.uk