Under-12s take title
GOLD Coast teams have impressed at the rep carnival at the Hinterland Netball Club.
A total of 51 teams from across the region took part at Firth Park, Mudgeeraba yesterday, with Northern Gold Coast taking out the under-12 division 2 crown.
Teams from South Coast, Tweed, Brisbane and the Hinterland region also competed.
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the Gold Coast District Rugby Union competition with selection in the Cyclones squad that contested the South Queensland Championships across the weekend at Dalby.
The Cyclones started their campaign well by accounting for Sunshine Coast 31-17 on Saturday but fell to eventual champions Darling Downs 22-3 yesterday.
“We started really well for the first 20 minutes but I think it was just a mixture of fatigue from playing back-to-back and we made a lot of mistakes as well,” said Cyclones co-coach Tonga Lea’aetoa.
Nonetheless, Lea’aetoa felt plenty of Gold Coast players put their name forward for a South Queensland jersey early next month in Townsville.
“Definitely I think a lot of guys put their hand up,” he said. “Probably Nixon Taramai from Colleges, he was a bit of an unknown, but he did really well this tournament.”
Lea’aetoa made no secret of the fact he wants to continue working with the side into 2019 when he hopes to see more progress.
“Next year with the program we are going to be like Darling Downs and Sunshine Coast; they play four or five games together and not play games after the boys played on the Saturday (as was the case when the Cyclones played Far North Coast in April),” he said.
“Speaking to Burto (cocoach Kris Burton), we might even get a program going where we do skill-specific clinics just to build the depth on the Coast and also get all of the players together before we get into camp.”