Legacy drives leader Club culture focus for Storm coach Satrick

RUGBY LEAGUE THE desire to build a lasting legacy has enticed Anthony Satrick to lead Edmonton Storm into 2020 and beyond.

“We want to make Edmonton the place people want to come and play footy,” he said.

The Cairns District Rugby League club is understood to be exploring a longer term deal with Satrick to keep him in their ranks well into the future.

But Satrick, who previously played for Brothers, Kangaroos and Ivanhoes over a decade-plus career in the Far North, is more than a footy coach to this club.

He is driven by the desire to make Edmonton Storm the club of choice for the next generation, with a positive culture that breeds ultimate success.

“We’re looking at the next few years to build the culture,” Satrick said. “This year was building the relationship and the expectation.”

The Storm have already made significant strides in this area, winning the under-18s grand final and making the decider in the under-16s.

With those players coming through the Storm’s system, it’s little wonder Satrick (above) is confident about what could come in the next few years.

The majority of the U18s squad have another season left in the grade, while the topaged juniors will filter into the side this year. Some U18s players could feature prominently in the A-grade competition, depending on how the club recruits this off-season and which positions they target.

Satrick didn’t give up any of those targets, but said the club was about to launch into its recruitment drive for next season. But the key isn’t to storm into A-grade’s top four next season and win the title.

Edmonton won five games this year, a vast improvement on their winless 2018, to finish second last, and Satrick is eyeing a few more wins.

While it would be nice to challenge two-time premiers Mossman Port Douglas and other competition heavyweights – nobody would turn down the chance to win a premiership – Satrick’s attention is on long-lasting change.

It’s one of the reasons why he cherished his role as the coach of the Cairns Crusaders, the under-15s and U17s teams who went to Brisbane to play at the Queensland Murri Carnival in Brisbane last weekend.

“We took about 60 kids away to the QMC but now we’re back, I’m focused on Edmonton,” he said.

“We’re very excited about what 2020 will bring. Hopefully we can go a few wins better than this year.”

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