Tugun set for big end to Oceans 38
UNDERDOGS Tugun are rising in the ranks to make the Gold Coast’s top surf lifesaving clubs take notice.
The southern Coast club are spearheaded by former ironman champion Hugh Dougherty as coach and are aiming high for the third and final round of the Oceans 38 series at Kirra today.
Dougherty said improving results had been driven by developing local juniors.
“We’ve only got a small team of a half-dozen guys … it’s been quite good to mix it with the bigger clubs,” Dougherty said.
“All of the guys that were there racing for us have all sort of come through from the nippers ranks as well so a few Tugun juniors.
“A lot of our older guys that we did have, they have finished up in the last couple of years and now they are all about 21 or 22 and younger so yeah I guess we are a pretty young squad overall.
“Most of them weren’t winning races in the age groups coming up through nippers and that but they have really improved a lot in the last few years and stuck with it and put in the hard work and the results are starting to come good.”
Rhyam Pankhurst, Chris Hunt, Joel Erskine and Ryan Smart are among those leading the way for the club.
Dougherty spoke openly about the challenges of trying to take on powerhouse outfits like Northcliffe.
“We don’t have the numbers like those other clubs have and we probably don’t have as much support from sponsors and that sort of thing that a lot of the bigger clubs have,” he said.
“It makes it hard for us to attract competitors from elsewhere but that’s why it is good to see that these guys have stuck around and are starting to show some good form. Going up against the bigger clubs, I guess it’s just something for us to strive for, to try to match it with them.”
Tugun appear to be wellplaced to continue their rise with a wave of additional nippers coming through.
As for the Oceans 38 finale, Dougherty said race results rather than the overall pointscore was their focus.
“Ski relay, board relay and taplin relay are the three ones as team events that we will be looking to figure prominently in and hopefully take them out,” Dougherty said.