Henry’s help for teens
FORMER Titans coach Neil Henry is leading the charge for passionate Gold Coast rugby league teens with a key role in the pilot RISE development program.
Henry is a central figure in the program inspired by the Respect, Inspiration, Selflessness and Excellence values set by the national Kangaroos team.
It has been adapted into Routine, Identity, Socialise and Evolve to reflect the holistic mentoring for Coast upand-comers looking to better themselves.
“It’s for aspirational kids who are 13 to 15-year-olds that haven’t played representative football but they must have played rugby league for at least two years,” Henry said.
“It’s about engaging players at that age group that really want to better themselves but haven’t got a pathway at the moment.
“They want to be better players and they want to be better people and it sort of fits into the whole value set of the Kangaroos with the RISE.”
In addition to the skills coaching that Henry and his former assistant coach Terry Matterson run, there is a strength and conditioning component as well as an overall life element spearheaded by Griffith University associate professor Allison Waters.
Players were tested initially for a baseline to monitor their progress and are issued homework focus areas.
Monthly 150-minute sessions run across five months with 46 juniors on the Gold Coast and 40 at Coffs Harbour.
“It’s been good to be involved with grassroots rugby league, which I haven’t done for quite a while,” Henry said.
“The feedback has been really positive around the pilot for it with a view to expanding these development programs throughout initially NSW and Queensland.”