Mackay Cutters’ early win against Brisbane Tigers promising for 2022 success

After every sustained period of sporting suffering is a clear turning point, a watershed moment to signal the dark days are over. The Mackay Cutters hope they’ve had their moment.

The Mackay Cutters are one win away from matching their total 2021 count. An astounding feat considering they are only six rounds in to their 20-round season.

While they may not necessarily be setting the league alight at three wins and three losses, on the back of an impressive 24-12 win against the formerly ladder-leading Brisbane Tigers, there is cause for optimism at BB Print Stadium.

Cutters CEO Mitch Cook said early signs were pleasing.

“The important thing for us early is to get some wins under our belt and give ourselves a good opportunity to make sure the rest of the season, we’re winning more games than we’re losing,” he said.

“Lots of things have to fall into place for us to make sure that happens, especially with a new group still learning what Dave (Elliot), the new coach, is trying to do.”

Mackay Cutters CEO Mitch Cook said significant change was required at the club. Picture: File.

Mr Cook believes significant changes at the club are required following its four-win 2021 campaign.

“It (2021) was on the back of a few other down years. We haven’t made finals since 2013 and that is where we want to be,” he said.

“Anything short of that isn’t going to be acceptable from our end. We are here to put ourselves in the position to be competing for the premiership at the end of the day.

“It’s important to the club, our community and our town, so changes were definitely needed from last season, on and off the field.”

One of those changes was the return of 2013 premiership winning coach Kim Williams to the head of football role, to support David Elliott and his coaching panel.

Mackay Cutters head of football Kim Williams previously coached the club from 2013-2015. Picture: Chris Lees.

Williams evaluated the even return from the first six games as a “pass mark”, considering the challenge of meshing the many new additions to the playing and coaching group.

He believes the playing group buying into the team plan, a “transition period” for the club proving a lot easier than it may have been otherwise.

“There were so many changes so I knew the team would improve as the season wore on and expected a little bit of a struggle to start with in terms of results on the field,” Williams said.

“At three wins and three losses at this point in the season, it’s not far off the mark to what we expected.

“Our last win is hopefully the indicator that we are starting to get those combinations clicking and we will improve from here and continue to challenge the top teams in the competition.”

Williams described the performance as a much-needed “big shot in the arm of confidence”.

“Being such a young group, it’s probably even more important that we got that win, just to reassure those guys that we are heading in the right direction,” he said.

“Attack in the first half and defence in the second half. It was a great 80-minute performance.”

The challenges will not end there for the Cutters, their next fixture involving a trip to the Gold Coast on May 14 to face the second-placed Burleigh Bears.