Black joins Bilambil
Former NRL halfback a lucky boost for Jets
BILAMBIL have landed the signature of former NRL halfback Ben Black in a fillip to their Rugby League Gold Coast aspirations.
It was by sheer fortune that Black stumbled across the Jets as he looked to move up from the Wagga Wagga region where he had captain-coached Brothers for 2½ years before switching to Yenda midway through last season.
The 36-year-old’s career includes having played all seven of his NRL games for the Wests Tigers as a teenager.
He later had stints in England playing for Halifax and Batley between a run for Burleigh in the Queensland Cup.
“His parents live at Kingscliff and his wife is from England so they don’t really have any family in Wagga or anything like that, he just went back there and captain-coached,” Bilambil president Ryan Helton said.
“He’s moving up here to be around family so it was just by chance that he heard about us.”
Black will move up next month to join the Jets, who are otherwise largely banking on their talented crop of under-19 graduates to bolster their senior squad.
Bilambil have featured in three consecutive under-19 grand finals, of which they have won the past two.
Among the brightest prospects are hooker Thomas Plater, who has already gathered plenty of A-grade experience, and 2017 under-19 captain Hayden Tolland.
Tom Rowles, the son of Jets coach Craig, has come on-board to add further depth at dummy-half.
Rowles has not played since badly breaking his right leg while lining up for Burleigh against Bilambil in August 2016.
After desperately scrambling for players two years ago, Bilambil went within a whisker of making the preliminary final last year and are eager to keep improving.