Coach Comerford: Mackay Cutters are ready to compete in 2023
It’s been more than a decade since the Mackay Cutters won their first game of the season, but Mick Comerford believes his men are ready for any challenge. Read his comments here
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The last time the Cutters won in the first round of the Queensland Cup, half of the globe had just discovered Gotye and was trying to work out who was it that he used to know.
Yes, it's been that long.
But as we approach the 2023 season, the Cutters are ready to break the first-round curse as they venture to Brisbane to take on the Wynnum-Manly Seagulls this Saturday afternoon.
The side has gone through some changes in the off-season, including the addition of a new head coach in Mick Comerford.
Comerford, a former Cutters player, believes a strong focus on changing not only the physical toughness but also the sides mental resilience is key to the team returning to the finals for the first time since 2013.
“Within the group there is a pretty big desire to win games,” Comerford said.
“We want to reach our potential.”
Equipped with much of the talent that took them just two wins from the finals last year, the side will give both fresh faces and former NRL talent a chance to shine across the season.
Two particular fresh faces - Jack Hoffman and Asher O'Donnell - hit close to home given both have come through the junior ranks at the club over the past few seasons.
“It’s a great reward for effort,” Said Commerford.
“It goes to show if you come through the system you can get an opportunity to play in the Hostplus Cup.”
Benefiting from the experience of some in the locker room such as Logen Dillon and Garrett Smith who are fresh from NRL systems means the side now comes with a renewed sense of professionalism, according to Comerford.
“The intensity of our training has gone up,” Comerford said.
“We have confidence, not arrogance.”
Since 2011, the Cutters have lost their opening game of the season by an average of more than two tries, a history which includes a 44-point-loss to the Blackhawks back in 2018.
With that in mind, their match up with the Seagulls presents a fantastic opportunity to get the year started on the right foot.
“There’s a really great opportunity to build momentum off the back of a hopefully positive result this weekend,” Comerford said.
“One or two games can cost you a final spot... we identified last year two early games can cost you a final.”
Win, lose or draw, Commerford admitted that his message to the team and fans is simple: you take it week by week.
Breaking the season into four week blocks, the first-time coach believes condensing it into smaller fractions makes the 22 round season easier to tackle.
“We’ve broken this phase up into a little four-game block before Easter,” Comerford said.
“We’ve made a point of saying these first four games don’t define how our season is going... If we can put a fair bit of emphasis around this weekend of playing then we have a nice little stretch coming up.”
Saturday’s game will be played at BMD Kougari Oval at 3pm.
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