Wildman shows he can mix it with the big boys
Gold Coast Cyclones colts coach Shaun Cole believes Ryan Wildman could be poised to defy his age and force his way into the South Queensland line-up, along with a cohort of fellow Glitter Strip products who made their mark.
Cole’s young men triumphed at the South Queensland Championships on the weekend, overcoming the Sunshine Coast and Darling Downs on points differential.
Despite only having one full training session together, the Cyclones bounced back from a sluggish first-half in their opening clash against the Stingrays to score five second half tries – just falling short 32-31.
They came out swinging in their Saturday fixture to win 24-12, with Wildman scoring once and having a hand in every other Cyclones try scored.
The 17-year-old was thrust in at halfback for the opening contest, a position he has frequently filled throughout his junior football with Palm Beach Alleygators.
However Cole said the youngster relished the opportunity to play fullback and dominated, keeping his name firmly on the radar of selectors ahead of the Queensland Country Championships.
He said despite this being Wildman’s first year on the colts periphery, his youth should have no bearing on whether or not he cracks higher honours.
“Sometimes I don’t really have too much affiliation with a lot the boys so I rely on what we see at the limited trainings we have and feedback from coaches,” Cole said.
“Often I’ve noticed the last three years some coaches may be wary of the younger guys stepping up to that level but I went on my gut instinct.
“They get out here, step it up and you can tell they’re ready to go. Their skill is on show, but Ryan in particular … we put him to fullback in the second game and he finished with three try assists, scored one of his own and was really impressive.
“He’s got really good vision, he put a couple of nice kicks in but there was one where Darling Downs trapped him down one side of the field with a good kick chase and he saw an overlap on the far side.
“He beat two or three tackles, then put Callum Simpson away for a long range try; that was early on and I thought this kid was going to have a big game.
“It’ll be interesting to see where he goes with footy. I don’t think they (selectors) base it on age; last year we had Bailey Danielson who hadn’t turned 18 yet and he got picked in that next team so I wouldn’t think the age has much to do with it if they stand out.”
Head online to goldcoastbulletin.com.au/sport for the full breakdown of Cyclones colts in line for South Queensland selection.