OAKEY BEARS
LAST YEAR
6-10, 8th
INS AND OUTS
IN: Steve Rodgers (Valleys), Jordan Carrington (Beenleigh), AJ Raeli (Newcastle), Paul Schillingworth (Bundaberg), Jonty Vailahi (Highfields), Corey Gregory (Northern Territory), Eddie Dean (Rugby Union)
OUT: Corey Mullins (retired), Emanuel Cerei (Fiji), Jordan Boney (Gatton), Josh Robinson (retired), Chris Oliver (Gatton).
LIKELY TEAM
1. Elwin Long, 2. Ashley Hooper, 3. Josh Stanton, 4. Paul Schillingworth, 5. Brayden Schilf, 6. Dylan Adamson, 7. Branden Hall, 8. AJ Raeli, 9. Aaron Marsh, 10. Steve Rodgers, 11. Dylan Haajier, 12. Ronin Grant, 13. Aaron Cherry, 14. Jonty Vailahi, 15. James Vaillahi, 16. Jordan Carrington, 17. Dylan Crump.
THE YEAR AHEAD
The Bears took big strides in 2018, winning six games and proving competitive in a number of others.
After a strong off-season, they are looking to hit the ground running at the start of the year.
“We’ve been playing a bit of old-school Oakey football for a while,” coach Mark Tookey told TRL media.
“When I spoke to (president) Brendan (Dolan) about coaching the side, I knew there wasn’t too many changes that needed to be made.
“We just need a bit of an attitude adjustment and accountability to other members of the team.”
Tookey knows the club has the ability to match it with some of the better teams in the competition, and said few small tweaks would secure more wins.
“We just need to work for each other and play smart,” he said.
“We were carrying the ball and tackling individually last year. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t.
“We just want to be a more consistent team, and complete our sets.”
PLAYER TO WATCH
Dylan Adamson. After floating between fullback and the halves last season, Adamson looks like he will take on the five-eighth role for 2019.
A smart player with the ability to lead a team around the park, he can play a leading role in the club’s success.
VERDICT
After a few years in the doldrums, the road ahead looks to be bright for Oakey.
They picked up six wins last season, and they should be aiming to at least add another two or three to that tally come the end of this year.
The appointment of Mark Tookey as coach is important, and will add a calming influence to the team.
EIGHTH