The Border Bushrangers Under 18 side will welcome home current Brisbane Bronco Game Development Officer Mick Hancock, when he attends the BRL Under 18s Development Camp this weekend (February 13-14).
As many would remember, Hancock played for the Stanthorpe Gremlins in the late eighties before moving onto an illustrious career with the Brisbane Broncos, Queensland Maroons and the Australian Kangaroos.
Hancock will be joined by High Performance coaches Jim Stevens from the NRL and locally renowned mentor Damian Petrie, who will be passing on their in depth knowledge to the Under 18 players who are currently preparing for their inaugural season in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition in 2016.
Under 18 players from all over Stanthorpe, Tenterfield, Texas, Inglewood, Millmerran and Killarney have joined forces to be part of this wonderful initiative of the Border Rugby League.
Registrations have recently opened and are progressing well. Players can register at www.playnrl.com
Under 18 head coach Peter Brannigan is hoping for a good attendance to the camp to help prepare the players for the rigours of the TRL Competition and 22 rounds of rugby league.
“The players around the region are now all training with their respective senior clubs and numbers are solid, but we would welcome any additional players looking to play rugby league if they are either 17 or 18 in 2016,” Brannigan said.
Local clubs in the BRL are supporting this team and are looking forward to seeing the players unearthed over the coming years join their teams.
After graduating from the Under 18 side, the clubs are hoping for the young players to play in the local BRL A Grade competition.
This initiative will also help alleviate local junior players who finish in Under 16 having to either travel to Warwick, Clifton or Toowoomba to play in an Under 18 competition.
In the past, a small number of players continued to play in other towns, but the majority were either lost to the game or started playing other sports.
QRL Operations Manager Michael Jensen has taken on the managerial duties of the Under 18 team this season and he is hoping that the rugby league community will get behind the team over coming months and attend their home and away matches (which will coincide with the BRL competition matches).
Stanthorpe will host four home games, Tenterfield three home games, Wallangarra two home games, Killarney one home game and Inglewood one home game during the BRL Season.
All eligible Under 18 players within the wider Border Rugby League catchment area, including the townships of Stanthorpe, Tenterfield, Wallangarra, Killarney, Inglewood, Texas, Millmerran and beyond are invited to attend the Development Camp at Sullivan Oval, Stanthorpe.
“We would prefer that players attend the Sunday if they cannot attend both days, but would prefer them to come both days if they can,” Jensen said.
“We have some excellent coaching sessions planned with some highly skilled coaches travelling from a long way to attend and would like to encourage all players to come along for an enjoyable weekend with their prospective new team-mates.”
Coaching staff and responsible parents will be camping overnight with players in the Stanthorpe clubhouse.
The Development Camp is FREE for Under 18 players. They just need to bring along a comfortable swag and a good attitude.
Summary of Development Camp:
Event: Border Bushrangers Under 18 Development Camp
When: Saturday-Sunday, February 13-14
Start Time: 2pm Saturday
Finish Time: 12.30pm Sunday
Cost: NIL
Where: Sullivan Oval Stanthorpe
Saturday, February 13, 2016
2pm-3pm: strength & conditioning session with Damian Petrie (past Queensland Cup Player and Current High Performance coach)
3pm-3.30pm: advanced skills session with Damian Petrie
3.30pm-5pm: swimming pool session
5.30pm-7.30pm: free time, showers, barbecue dinner at clubhouse. General discussion about the upcoming 2016 season
7.30pm-9.30pm: Watch All Stars Rugby League match on big screen in clubhouse
9.30pm-11.30pm movie
11.30pm Sleep
Sunday, February 14
6.30am-7.30am creek run
7.30am-8.30am breakfast/showers
8.30am-9am gym session
9am-10am skills session Dave Fleming experienced coach for past 25 years) and Peter Brannigan
10am-11.30am skills session, Mick Hancock, Brisbane Broncos Game Development Officer and past Queensland and Kangaroos player
11.30am-12.30pm skills session Jim Stevens NRL Game Development Officer and current high performance coach
12.30pm: finish
