CYCLONE COACHES

Reef Bowl failure still stings

A POWERHOUSE coaching trio stand as the Townsville Cyclones’ secret weapons in returning to the top of the North Queensland Gridiron League.

Christian O’dea, Josh Holden and Dan White will be the masterminds behind the inaugural outfit’s plot back to the Reef Bowl, after a season which skipper Kyle Reynolds labelled a disappointment.

It was the first time in the competition’s five-year history that the Cyclones did not take out the championship, a feeling Reynolds never wants to endure again.

And these acquisitions have him anticipating a meteoric campaign.

Holden returns to the club after a year off to focus on family commitments and work towards his PHD in molecular biology, while White — described as a “stalwart of Townsville gridiron” by Reynolds — brings five title rings as a player to the fore.

But it is O’dea’s presence as head coach that has the red unit motoring in a whole new gear.

“He’s played for Australia, he’s played in Hawaii … he brings a wealth of knowledge to our team,” Reynolds said of O’dea.

“The influence they’ve already had is astounding — there’s an emphasis on fitness at training and training has been very structured.

“Last year when it was (quarterback) Boeden (Brunne) and I playercoaching, it’s hard to tell someone how to do something then try to watch them while you’re doing your job.

“The other big factor for us is we’ve retained a lot of our players, the majority have come back hungry as ever to get that championship.

“There’s a few rookies who missed out last year so there’s fire in bellies across the board at the Cyclones this year — some of us are saying it’s the best team we’ve had.”

Cyclones will begin their season in Townsville against Mackay Mavericks on Saturday, a match-up in which Reynolds is unsure what to expect.

It is why the captain is unfazed by what the Cyclones’ rivals are planning — with the likes of Brunne, Jackson Collins and Lolobai Towler on his side he knows it has the firepower to take down anyone.

Reynolds hinted some players, including himself, could be on the move at the end of this campaign. He said playing on another season would involve a conversation with his partner.

But now his focus is on delivering a sixth victory to the Townsville club.

“(Early on) we had to scramble to make some player coaches,” Reynolds said. “There’s a few of us who want to go out on top, might want to hang up the boots with another ring.”