PRINCIPAL
PARTNERS

MITCHELL KEEN TO GET SEASON STARTED WITH YOUNG SEAGULLS

With the Cyril Connell Challenge to kick-off tomorrow, Identified Services Tweed Seagulls Head Coach Neil Mitchell is looking forward to the season getting started.

Entering his third year at the helm, Mitchell takes great pride in the position he holds, knowing full well that for a lot of his squad members, it is their first start in the representative arena.

“For any 16-year-old it is a big opportunity,” Mitchell said. “It’s not the be all and end all when it comes to being selected in this squad but it’s certainly a good introduction into how things are done at this level.

“I put a lot of time into the behaviours and culture when the guys start training. First and foremost it’s about being a good human, being polite, playing the game the right way and then the footy is secondary.”

Like the Mal Meninga Cup, the season only runs for a short period so the priority for Mitchell is to keep it simple and focus on certain elements of the game.

“We’re really about looking for improvement. We definitely give them an intro into what we’re about here at Tweed but ultimately it’s about building a respect for the game and they can then take that back to their club side.

“We’ve just set down some ground rules and tried not to overcomplicate it too much. We teach them ‘why’ and then get them to ask a lot of questions. It’s just as much about education.”

Whilst a season opener is enough to get any player or coach excited, tomorrow’s game will have a little bit more fire to it with it being a local derby against the Burleigh Bears.

“A rivalry is always good. No one wants to lose.

“It’ll be about controlled aggression for the guys. Yes, a lot of the guys know each other from either school or club footy so it’ll be fun.

“There’s even a bit of a rivalry between the coaches.”

The Cyril Connell Challenge side tackle the Burleigh Bears tomorrow at Tugun RLFC, with kick-off at 9:30am.

The squad selected: