Raw talent takes to field
The Cairns Falcons know today’s opening game of 2018 Northern Queensland Gridiron will be by far the toughest of the season. With much of the Falcons squad brand new to the game, second-year coach David Tibbetts expects to see plenty of mistakes through inexperience and growth but he knows it is required to expand the game in the north. After Townsville and Cairns played the inaugural series last year, Mackay have been added in 2018 as gridiron continues to expand.
THE NEW GUYS HAVE A FUNDAMENTAL BASELINE OF SKILLS BUT IT WILL BE ABOUT ADJUSTING TO THE PACE, RHYTHM AND TEMPO OF THE GAME. THERE IS NO DOUBT THIS WILL BE OUR TOUGHEST GAME OF THE SEASON AND WE WILL JUST IMPROVE FROM THERE COACH DAVID TIBBETTS
THE Cairns Falcons know today’s opening game of 2018 Northern Queensland Gridiron will be by far the toughest of the season.
With much of the Falcons squad brand new to the game, second-year coach David Tibbetts expects to see plenty of mistakes through inexperience and growth but he knows it is required to expand the game in the north.
After Townsville and Cairns played the inaugural series last year, Mackay have been added in 2018 as gridiron continues to expand.
Experienced faces like Chris Farrar, Benny Foy and Warren Lee return for the Falcons’ sophomore season as well as rookies like Kieran Daley, who has impressed Tibbetts with his speed.
The Falcons open the new season in Townsville from 4pm.
“The good news for us is that the rookies are a bit unsure of what the first game will bring to them but I can see they have the talent to com- pete,” Tibbetts said. “The new guys have a fundamental baseline of skills but it will be about adjusting to the pace, rhythm and tempo of the game.
“There is no doubt this will be our toughest game of the season and we will just improve from there.
“We enter the season with 85 per cent rookies but they have the raw talent and will learn well from our veteran leaders and their upcoming ingame experience.”
The Cairns, Townsville and Mackay teams are now affiliated with Gridiron Queensland, based in Brisbane.
The six-game 2018 Northern Queensland Gridiron season starts today and ends on March 10, with a championship game held at the winner’s home field on March 17.
“The Cairns Gridiron Association has upgraded their field, facilities, operations, and player development this past off-season,” Tibbetts said.
“We have increased our player numbers and have a great team attitude that bodes well for our future.
“We look forward to making a strong statement.”