SO FAMILIAR … ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER WIN
“ALL Day” Ali Day is in need of a new nickname.
With three Nutri-Grain IronMan Series event wins in as many days at Kingscliff, “Every Day” sounds more fitting for the Surfers Paradise champion.
Inspired by his surf lifesaving heroes Shannon Eckstein and Ky Hurst, Day had planned to celebrate a win at Kingscliff with a photo with his newborn son Danny Rosco at the finish line. He returned home on Sunday night with three of them.
“I wouldn’t have ever dreamt it,” he said. “This time last year I would have been stoked to win one event; to win three is a dream come true.”
Day has never tasted defeat since welcoming his son into the world.
In his current form it’s easy to wonder how old young Danny might be before his dad finally does.
Three generations of Day men were there to celebrate Ali’s hat-trick at Kingscliff, which made the event even more special as he returned from major injury.
“Seeing Shannon and Ky with their kids splashing around after events was always so cool,” Day said.
“Danny is young but I just want him to look back and be proud of his dad. When he’s old enough I hope that he is.”
Family is a major driver for Day as the two-time series champion plots out his course for a third title.
His father Rosco and his little boy will be there for every step of the way. “In 12 years my dad has never missed a race – he is the best bloke I know,” Day said.
NEW rules introduced to protect NRL players from burnout have decimated the Gold Coast Titans’ player pool for Friday’s trial match against the Burleigh Bears.
Under the new rules players who featured in 12 NRL games or more in 2020 will be restricted to just one pre-season trial match in 2021.
Players desperate for a chance to prove themselves worthy of a place in the starting 17 for round one, including Tanah Boyd, Corey Thompson and Tyrone Peachey, will have one chance only to state their case when the team takes on the Warriors on February 27.
More than a dozen players exceeded the maximum games quota while another four eligible players are unavailable due to injury.
Just 13 players from the 2021 NRL squad are available for coach Justin Holbrook under the new rules, with numbers to be bolstered by around 10 former train-and-trialists, many of whom were released to their feeder clubs after Christmas.
Titans fans will still catch a glimpse of the team’s next generation with Jayden Campbell, the son of Preston Campbell, the favourite to don his father’s old No.1 jersey for the first time.
Campbell made his debut in Titans colours in the corresponding fixture last year but wore the No.17 off the bench.
The blood ties will go further as the shortage appears set to hand a Titans debut to Will Brimson, the elder brother of regular fullback AJ.
Brimson joined the Titans on a train-and-trial contract from the Tweed Seagulls and Mudgeeraba Redbacks, where he shone as a fiveeighth in 2020.
Backrowers Sam Stone and Beau Fermor will audition for the No.19 jersey.