Stars of tomorrow get a shot at new pathway to make it into NRL
RISING footballers from the Gold Coast and Tweed are bracing for a year of change aimed at providing better pathways to the NRL.
The structure of the older age-group competitions have been revamped, with under-18s players now to align themselves with either Burleigh or Tweed Heads rather than simply falling under the Gold Coast representative banner.
“The format is the same in regards to it’s a statewide comp but they’ll actually travel, like we play Cairns and Rockhampton in our first few rounds and they will travel whereas before they would never do that,” said Bears boss Damian Driscoll of the Mal Meninga Cup. “It’s a pathway for Gold Coast players and most of the boys are made up from local clubs and they will go back and play there once the competition finishes.”
The under-20s will undergo something of a transition season, with the NRL-aligned National Youth Competition to be scrapped in 2018 which Driscoll says effectively will allow regions to hold on to their talented products.
“The 20s is a funny one because next year it will be a fully statewide under-20s competition for the whole season, so they will be like the NYC, they will follow us around the whole state,” Driscoll explained.
“This year the first six rounds of the competition our 20s will play in a statewide comp and then a new comp, the FOGS colts, starts after that for all the southeast Queensland teams.”
Tweed Heads young guns meanwhile will be treated to the wisdom of club legends Brad Davis and Tim Maccan, who will co-coach the Seagulls’ under-18s side.