The NSW Blues will welcome former players Peter Forrest and Daniel Smith back into the fold, joining Brad Haddin’s team as assistant coaches in 2026-27.
Forrest, Smith join Blues coaching team
The pair, who have enjoyed recent success at the helm of NSW Premier Cricket clubs Mosman and Eastern Suburbs respectively, will commence at Cricket Central on Monday, May 18.
Peter Forrest
A stylish top order batter, Forrest represented Australia in 15 ODIs, highlighted by a century against Sri Lanka in 2012.
He also enjoyed a successful decade in domestic cricket, graduating from the Hawkesbury Cricket Club to play 29 First Class and 16 List A matches for NSW, before moving north to join Queensland and the Brisbane Heat.
Since retiring from professional cricket, Forrest has successfully transitioned into coaching and high‑performance development.
Most prominently, he guided Mosman to a Belvidere Cup (First Grade) – Albert Cup (Second Grade) double in 20121-22 as player-coach.
Daniel Smith
Smith was an aggressive wicketkeeper-batter who represented NSW in all three formats, enjoying 25 First Class, 30 List A and 37 T20 matches in Blue.
His finest hour came in October 2011, blasting 179 not out against Victoria in a One-Day Cup fixture at North Sydney Oval, a record for NSW at the time.
He also won the 2008-09 T20 Big Bash and 2009 Champions League T20 with NSW, before going on to represent the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder.
Smith has made considerable impact as a coach in NSW, working in various roles with Thunder’s men’s and women’s teams, plus Premier Cricket clubs Sydney and Parramatta. In 2025-26, he guided Eastern Suburbs to the First Grade Limited-Overs Cup title.
Brad Haddin, NSW Blues Head Coach, said:
“Peter and Daniel are well connected across the NSW cricket system and were excellent players during a strong era for the Blues.
“They’ve also both enjoyed success at Premier Cricket level as coaches, by winning titles and developing players. We’ll keep working closely with all clubs and emphasise the importance of performances at that level.
“I look forward to working with Peter, Daniel and the wider team as we build towards the season.”
The addition of Forrest and Smith comes after Tuesday's announcement of the 2026-27 Blues contracted player squad, comprising six Cricket Australia contracted players, 19 on full state contracts and three rookies.
NSW Blues Squad 2026-27
Cricket Australia contracts: Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
Blues full contracts: Sean Abbott, Joel Davies, Ollie Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Ryan Hadley, Liam Hatcher, Ryan Hicks, Bryce Jackson, Riley Kingsell, Sam Konstas, Nic Maddinson, Jack Nisbet, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe, Will Salzmann, Tanveer Sangha, Lachlan Shaw, Charlie Stobo
Blues rookie contracts: Charlie Anderson, Jake Scott, Harjas Singh
Coaches: Brad Haddin, Peter Forrest, Daniel Smith