EAGLES’ NEW GUNS
A CHANGE of scenery and career-saving surgery have given Currumbin recruit Jamie Dowling a new lease on life as he settles into the Eagles’ Rugby League Gold Coast surroundings.
An Intrust Super Cup regular with Burleigh between 2014-18, the 29-year-old utility back and fellow former Titan Shane Gray headline a host of new faces at Galleon Way as Currumbin eye a breakthrough A grade premiership.
Dowling, who made 10 NRL appearances for Gold Coast in 2012-13, had a double groin reconstruction at the end of Burleigh’s 2018 ISC campaign and played just one A grade game for the Bears at the back end of last season.
He was prepared to head into retirement in 2020 before a call from new Eagles coach and former Burleigh ISC teammate Martin Griese planted the seed for a change.
Reinvigorated by the move, Dowling now hopes he can help Currumbin build on their preliminary-final appearances in 2018-19.
“I’m feeling good. It’s probably a refreshing change because I’ve been at Burleigh my whole life,” he said.
“I was at Burleigh in 2018 and for the last couple of games I was having to get anaesthetic injections (in my groin) just to get through games. I came back towards the end of the A grade season (last year) and they only had 3-4 games until finals and I just thought I was too underdone.
“It’s been very enjoyable going to Currumbin, there’s a lot of young kids. It was probably (about) getting back and having fun with footy again.
“Sometimes you can get into a habit and routine and it becomes a second job for you almost. I was going to hang them up (retire) but then I had a mate message me, Ayden Lee, saying come have a game at Currumbin.”
Versatile forward Gray, who played a lone Titans game in 2013, Lee, Bryce Thomas and Keanu Tukiri have joined Currumbin after playing together under Griese in Tugun’s title-winning 2016 side.