‘It’s like a fairytale’ for Coen’s proud parents
HIS words have already powered one North Queensland side to a grand final and now Coen Hess’s father Warren is hopeful it’ll happen again.
Brothers reserve grade side took out their decider a little over a week ago, seeing off a spirited challenge from the Burdekin Roosters, and now Warren and his wife Debbie’s focus is firmly on cheering their son Coen and the Cowboys to finals glory.
“In all honesty, there’s times you
have to pinch yourself, it’s like a fairytale. When you’re a young fella you come through dreaming of these opportunities for yourself,” Mr Hess said. “But to see your son accomplish those sorts of goals, you have to just stand back and appreciate it.”
The imposing forward had been following along with the fortunes of his former junior club throughout the Townsville District Rugby League competition, but helping power North Queensland deep into finals wasn’t always on the cards for the younger Hess when the family lived in Mount Isa.
“When he was 14 or 15 or so, we’d had a few Cowboy days where they brought the training camps out to the kids in Mount Isa,” Mr Hess said.
“My wife and I had never really put our mind to it, we always knew he was a handy footballer, but the ARL development officer Scott Kyle he made a phone call to Kristian Woolf and then onto Dave Elliott.
“It all happened so quickly, it was very surreal. We drove Coen across to Townsville and they decided to send him for a couple of months, just to see how he’d go. Straight away he started kicking goals.”
While the 26-year-old Bundaberg product has since marked himself as a star after making his mark with a grand final appearance and representative stint with the Queensland side in 2017, Mr Hess said his feet have always been planted firmly on the ground.
“We never had it planned. He just got the opportunity and the doors seemed to open up for him,” Mr Hess said. “To his credit, he’d be happy to stay a one-club man. There was a time when other clubs were interested.
“He loves the club, he loves the people and he loves the area more than anything.”
While his son’s success has served as a fitting reward for a family that’s long devoted itself to rugby league, the Hess patriarch – whose other son, Eden, is developing in the Bundaberg system – still struggles to wrap his head around it sometimes.
“It’s very hard to put it into words, you feel so happy for him, of course,” Mr Hess said. “I couldn’t be prouder of the pair of them, they’re two kids that have stuck loyal and stuck to their guns and they’re doing well in their sport.”