Derby’s day for this Young Gun
A PRE-SEASON stint with the Cowboys has Cairns product Rob Derby primed for a big outing against the Northern Pride.
He is the first to admit the past few years have been a rollercoaster, but Derby is eyeing arguably his best opportunity when he takes the field for the North Queensland Young Guns on Saturday night.
Derby, Lewis Mene and Braythen Porter are the Far North products named in the Young Guns’ 21-man squad for the trial against the Northern Pride, but Derby is the only one named to start.
And he is ready to take this opportunity with both hands.
Derby had previously linked with the Storm’s pathways system at the Sunshine Coast but that fizzled after Covid-s impact on rugby league in 2020. A move back to Cairns followed, where he played for Brothers in the CDRL, and last year was among the standout performers in the Pride’s under-21s.
Now, he’s based in Townsville, and training as part of a Cowboys’ program designed to develop the next batch of NRL players. Training alongside the NRL squad, Derby said his game had gone to another level.
“Definitely, there’s a lot of experienced and good players in that squad,” Derby said. “They’ve helped me out a lot, especially on the defensive side. It hasn’t been a bad few years. It’s all been to make myself a better player.
“(On Saturday), I just want to put everything I’ve practised and trained for over the past few months into action. I want to be a consistent Hostplus Cup player this year.”
Cowboys recruitment manager Dane Campbell facilitated Derby’s move. He was the man behind Derby’s shift to the Storm, so Campbell was well aware of the talent the 19year-old possesses, but said Derby found his feet while playing for the Pride last year.
“Rob has some great athleticism, that’s one of the reasons I brought him to the Storm,” Campbell said. “I think he found his feet in that 21s Pride team where he was one of the better performers each week.
“He reminds me of Nene MacDonald. They have a similar body shape, and Rob is a great returner of the football.”
Mene grew up on Badu Island, and attended Abergowrie College before a move to Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane truly unlocked his athleticism.
Given Mene’s AFL and rugby background, Campbell said this will be a learning year as he adapts to the game on the wing, but the club is keen to see what he keen do.
Porter, a front-rower who grew up in Malanda, will suit up for the Blackhawks in 2022.