Brolgas reward for rise of Fox
AS he watched William Fox tear to pieces Brothers last year, David Whalan sensed the inside centre was primed for higher honours.
The Western Suburbs coach, and Townsville Brolgas assistant, was on the money, with the dynamic “big lump of a man” set to take on Cairns this weekend.
Whalan has marvelled at Fox’s rapid rise in the rugby union world, having made an immediate impression after moving to the Dragons from the 13-man code.
Irrespective of what format he plays, the up-and-coming star has managed to shine, as exemplified by his standout showing in the victorious Beach 5s outfit last weekend.
Whalan said Fox had the composure of a man with far more experience and he would take to the representative scene with ease.
“He’s just got a good overall attitude, he’s willing to learn and he just brings a bit of toughness. He’s a very physical player, his ability to bend a defensive line is quite good,” he said.
“It was a game last year against Brothers where he dominated his opposition, and pretty much swung the game back in our favour.
“It was probably that moment when he got the belief he could change games and away he went.
“I think he’s still obviously very new to rugby union so he’ll take cues from the more senior guys such as Josh Fletcher and those Teachers West boys who form the nucleus.
“In saying that he’s extremely motivated and just wants to see how far he can go.”
This has been Whalan’s first stint on the Brolgas coaching staff, working under long-time mentor Terry Shiells.
The opportunity to work with players from various clubs, rather than purely focus on how to take them down, has been an eye-opening period for the Dragons leader, as he seeks to continue his development as a coach in the region.
Opportunities are widening for Townsville athletes to test themselves against the best of the best, with this weekend’s clash against Cairns to then inspire selections in a North Queensland outfit to tackle South Queensland.
With several new faces filtering through the Brolgas’ ranks, Whalan said there was a refreshing new era for players to embrace, and hopefully push for Queensland Country selection down the track.
And he has targeted another Western Suburbs backline ace to make his presence felt.
“I’m probably a little biased, but Jamaine Gillin I think will be a standout – particularly playing off the back of Josh Fletcher,” Whalan said.
“He will find a lot of space and Jamaine has a bit of pace so we should see some electrifying footy there.
“His support lines and knowing when to inject and not inject, he’s obviously a very talented footballer who will also I think have the potential to go quite a long way.
“There are a few unknowns there, some debutants across the team, but in typical Townsville Brolga fashion they won’t leave themselves wondering whether they gave it their all or not.”
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