They helped lead North Otago to two Meads Cups on the field.
Now they are hoping to return the favour off the field.
Luke Herden and Joe Mamea have joined the Old Golds coaching ranks, joining head coach Jason Forrest for the coming Heartland season.
Herden, a Dunedin loan player who won the old NPC third division and led North Otago to the Meads Cup in 2007, has taken up the job as backs coach.
Mamea, who captained the 2007 Meads Cup winning side, has joined in a mentoring role, helping assistant coach Ralph Darling.
Mamea, who played for Samoa, left North Otago in 2009 to take up a contract in Spain and had been playing, and coaching there, until recently moving back to Oamaru.
Forrest said both former players were massive coups for his coaching unit and brought a wealth of knowledge to the region with their prior connections.
The Heartland competition begins on August 12 but the Old Golds have at least two pre-season games in the pipeline.
They will play a game-of-three-halves against Southland B and the Southland Stags on July 22 in Te Anau and Otago Country, in Dunedin, on August 5.
The union started the initiative last year, playing Mid Canterbury in Kurow and chief executive Colin Jackson looked forward to continuing the tradition this year.
"Maheno are really enthusiastic about hosting the game," Jackson said.
