Sunshine Coast rugby league stars picked for Falcons 2023 pre-season
The Sunshine Coast Falcons’ 2023 title charge is underway with head coach Brad Henderson revealing which players from the local competition ‘stood out’ in pre-season.
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The Sunshine Coast Falcons have started their 2023 title campaign after a blistering 2022 season.
The Falcons finished in second place on the ladder in the Queensland Hostplus Cup competition before bowing out to eventual champions Norths Devils in the semi finals.
Former Maroochydore Swans junior and former assistant coach at the NRL’s Canterbury Bulldogs, Falcons head coach Brad Henderson said he was excited for the coming months.
“We had a seven-week block of pre-season before Christmas just so we can tick a few boxes through conditioning and where we want to be footy wise by a certain point,” he said.
“It’s felt like a different pre-season in that it’s a young side with not a whole heap of experience which is the reality of our program given our relationship with the Melbourne Storm.
“As far as pre-season goes our physicality has been great and our conditioning has been excellent.
“We have a really special group with our leaders really setting the standard themselves so that our expectations and reality is something that’s player driven.”
Falcons stars Blake Wilson (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs), Grant Anderson (Melbourne Storm) and Tyson Smoothy (Brisbane Broncos) secured NRL contracts following their 2022 performances while Kane Jackson, Jack Gibbons and Lazarus Vaalepu were invited to train and trial with Melbourne Storm.
Henderson said 44 players, including the Melbourne Storm feeder players, pulled on the gold and black throughout the 2022 season.
“For the majority of the year last year we ran with a 36-man squad and so pre-season has sat around that 35 mark,” he said.
“Ideally I’d like to keep my squad at 32 which also would include some Hastings Deering Colts players that would train with us.”
Six Sunshine Coast A-grade players were invited to take part in the Falcons 2023 pre-season in the hopes of impressing the coaching staff and securing a full-time contract.
“Not all the guys that have done the pre-season with us will go on to play the trial matches,” he said.
“There’s a few players from the local grade and a handful more that are external recruits so we’ll keep a few of the players on for the trial games before I’m looking like contracting two players in early January.”
Henderson said the concept was a ‘win-win’ for the Falcons and the local senior competition.
“Our whole focus on this is something we haven't done well in the past from what I’ve seen, but we have to be able to offer that higher level environment and training for the better players running around in the local competition,” he said.
“There’s over 100 something players running around at a pretty good level week-in-week-out so it’d be so naive to think there’s no one there that isn’t capable of matching it at this level.
“I’ve watched enough games this year and certainly know good players when I see them so I’m really happy with the ones I’ve bought in this year.
“The exposure of our training, knowledge from our staff and placing them around people that are of a higher standard really helps them rise.”
Read below to find out how our local A-grade stars fared with Falcons during the 2023 pre-season.
Jackson Moule (Maroochydore Swans)
In his first season with the club, Moule help guide the Swans to the 2022 A-grade premiership and hoped he could continue his good run of form in the Falcons pre-season camp.
“I did under-20s with the Falcons when I was younger but haven’t been in the system for about five or six years,” he said.
“It’s been a lot of running, a lot of strength and conditioning but it’s been good and I feel like the group has been really welcoming to us local and external boys.
“I feel like I’m making some good progress that I can take back to local footy if that’s what happens.”
The explosive Maroochydore five-eighth hoped he could remain in the pre-season squad ahead of the trial matches.
“At the start I was just coming in to learn from the best I guess but as I’ve been training and had a taste for it all I really want to see how far I can go with it,” Moule said.
He said the Falcons group was hungry for greater success in 2023.
“I think you can really tell that they fell short last year from where they wanted to be,” he said.
“It’s a group feeling that they all wanted to take off from where they finished last season which has been good and I think once they get the boys back from Melbourne they’ll be humming.”
Connah Mills (Beerwah Bulldogs)
The talented outside back, who only relocated to the Bulldogs in 2020, said it had been a tough but enjoyable pre-season camp.
“It’s been pretty tough to be honest, just getting drilled every week but it’s been good,” he said.
“It’s a lot more information thrown at you compared to what I’m used to at club footy but the boys are great and Hendo is pretty tactical so it’s great to learn from him.
“I’m hoping to get a contract, but the ultimate goal is to develop myself further as a footballer.”
Tayler McCann (Caloundra Sharks)
After only joining the Sharks in 2022, McCann said he was proud to have received the call-up for the pre-season camp.
“It’s been good, it’s been a lot of long sessions compared to what we’ve been doing locally but it’s been a good challenge,” he said.
The dominant front rower said he had enjoyed the past few weeks.
“It’s a really positive environment and all the boys are on the same page given they know what it takes to be competitive,” he said.
“There’s a few of us boys that have come in a bit green but they’ve really helped all of us and made it a lot easier.
“It’s a high standard with bigger expectations so there’s a lot of good, healthy competition.”
McCann said he hoped to be invited back early in the new year.
“I’m hoping to get a crack in the full-time squad,” he said.
“My goal is to try and get a couple of trial games and then play my way in through that but if not just taking away all the experience and knowledge form Hendo and the boys to implement it into my own team.”
Blake Hill (Beerwah Bulldogs)
Hill said the camp had been tough.
“The boys have been getting pretty flogged really,” he said.
“Getting into their defensive work, it’s really defence oriented this year so heaps of wrestle and different conditioning to go along with it.”
He said being a part of the professional club setting was enjoyable.
“The boys all have plenty of energy and are always keen to rip in,” he said.
“I’ve never really been a part of anything like it in terms of how everyone rocks up to training and their approach to it all but it’s starting to reflect on me so I’m loving it.”
The Beerwah forward said he was proud of what he had achieved.
“I’m just hoping to become a better footballer from it all I guess,” he said.
“To look at it a bit differently on what I can do pre and post match and the different on-field techniques that’ll help me improve.”
Rohan Messer (Maroochydore Swans)
Messer, who represented the Falcons during under-20s and in 2016 in Queensland Cup, said it had been great to return.
“I’ve loved it, it started out really physical with a lot of kilometres in the legs,” he said.
“More recently we’ve broken down into some 13 vs 13 game style stuff which has been good.”
He said he had enjoyed the high intensity.
“The professionalism from the coaching staff, the strength and condition crew and the way everything is run is really good,” he said.
“The best part for me has been the culture from the boys as everyone’s there to help with not too many egos.”
Messer said he was thankful to be included in the Falcons pre-season camp.
“For everyone there I think the goal is to play Queensland Cup for the Falcons but I went in there being a little bit realistic in that even in the worst case I’ll be fit and in good shape physically and mentally to play local league for the Swans and with my mates,” he said.
Luke Ford (Caboolture Snakes)
Ford, who took home Caboolture’s 2022 player’s player and coaches’ award, said he had enjoyed his first experience with the Falcons.
“To be honest it’s been fantastic,” he said.
“Everyone has been really welcoming, inviting and happy to answer any questions you’ve got about footy or anything really.
“It’s been tough obviously, trying to get everyone fit for the season but mixed in with the gameplay and skill work it’s gone really well.”
The crafty outside back hoped to further his game from this learning experience.
“Personally I’m just hoping to learn and grow from this experience,” he said.
“I love my footy and I love playing it, I don’t know if I see a career playing but certainly the knowledge is going to help me in other aspects of my life.”
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