Driven Kurrawa commits to a top five finish
BEING one of the best five surf clubs in Australia sounds like a lofty goal but that’s exactly what Kurrawa coach Barry Newman has demanded of his troops ahead of the Aussies.
“We’d like to finish in the top five and that’s our goal at the moment,” he said.
“As a coach, every event is worth the same so I’m judged on where we finish in the pointscore.
“I don’t care where the points come from we just want a good performance across the board.
“We have good beachies, boaties and march past so we have a good mix.”
With Kurrawa only a flag’s throw from the stretch of beach set to host Australia’s premier lifesaving event, Newman is looking for his team to capitalise on local knowledge.
“It’s almost a warm up for us to go up there,” he said.
“We’ll go there and train a couple of times in the lead up but the conditions are pretty similar.
“Having it in Perth last year was really different so to be able to get home and sleep in your own bed is a big boost.
“It was great having state titles there as a pre-Aussies hitout so it was definitely an advantage for the local clubs.”
Newman believes the club’s fifth place at states will give his charges the drive they need.
“Some kids thought they were a bit better than what they were so they’ve had to pull their heads in a bit which is good for their development and drive,” he said.
With local rivals Northcliffe gunning for their 16th title, Newman predicts the empire will one day fall ... although maybe not in 2019.
“Not this year,” he said. “I think Currumbin are the biggest challengers but they won’t quite get there.”