Emerging Kirwan ace shows off new tricks

WHILE he may be hopeful of a Kirwan Bears shot in the near future, Logan Brookes may have just found his calling by trading the Steeden for the Sherrin.

The Kirwan State High student has impressed in Townsville’s junior rugby league ranks as a fearless fullback, but his efforts in the North Queensland Schools Cup caused his program co-ordinator, Troy Ferrier, to lift in his seat. Each time Brookes entered a mid-air contest it came with an intent Ferrier said he had rarely seen in someone so young who had barely started his Aussie rules journey.

With the likes of Will Hope dominating the ruck, Brookes was able to get an edge over their Mercy College rivals in the third place play-off.

In the end, a dominant 13.11 (89) to 4.1 (25) ended their campaign, following a tight loss to eventual champions St Augustine’s College.

The trick for Ferrier now was to harness the ability the likes of Brookes had shown and keep them engaged with the code.

“He’s just a pure athlete. He reads the ball really well, and he knows where to go,” he said.

“He jumps at the footy, he’s a fullback in rugby league so he reads that ball so well and is a real competitor around the footy. In our top five, three or four of them were rugby league players but have just continued to improve as the ranks have gone on.

“The aim is to keep these kids involved in AFL, whether that be a school or community level it doesn’t really matter.”

Taking on a formidable St Augustine’s in the opening round was always going to present a tough task for Kirwan, with the Cairns-based school taking in a wealth of experienced young athletes in the sport. But Ferrier said his group showed they had the grit to battle with the favourites, and with continued skill development could become major influences in Townsville’s senior competitions.

“I think that’s shown again today, they continued to adjust to what we’re asking of them and adjusting to our structures and they improved as the day went on,” Ferrier said.