Coombabah lad’s explosive record
A COOMBABAH State High School halfback prospect has broken a Brisbane Broncos strength and conditioning record for his explosive lower-body power.
Year 11 playmaker Harradyn Wilson set a club record in the countermovement jump, a variation of the squat jump, during off-season training at Red Hill earlier this year.
Athletes are scored on the height reached during the countermovement jump, which translates to maximum speed and explosive power on the football field.
Wilson’s leap bettered the explosive power scores set in recent years by Dally M Prop of the Year Payne Haas and winger Xavier Coates, whose aerial prowess has been compared to that of Israel Folau.
Coombabah coach Rod Pryor said the young halfback was leaving no stone unturned to pursue his dream of
The jumper starts from an upright standing position, makes a preliminary downward movement by flexing at the knees and hips, then immediately extends the knees and hips again to jump vertically up off the ground.
playing at the highest level. “He’s the type of athlete who you hope gets to that level because he has that mentality to really excel,” Pryor said.
“He does extras on the oval after school; extra fitness, extra speed work and goal kicking as well.
“He’s lifting phenomenal weight for his size.”
Wilson represented the Queensland under-16s in 2019 and had the chance to stake his claim on the state under-18s No.7 jersey before COVID-19 cancelled the representative calendar.
With the young playmaker calling the shots, Coombabah were one win away from qualification for the Allan Langer Cup, which pits southeast Queensland’s top six rugby league schools against each other to qualify for the state title game.
The effort adds to Gold Coast’s reputation as a breeding ground for NRL talent, having produced players from Palm Beach Currumbin and Keebra Park across the past decade.
The talent has proved so strong that Keebra coach Glen Campbell this week backed calls for NRL expansion – despite concerns from the Titans – and said the region could cope with a third side in the southeast of Queensland.