The Big Q&A with Bilambil Jets coach and ex-Queensland and Gold Coast forward Kevin Campion
Kevin Campion is one of the toughest Queenslanders to play rugby league; he talks about his past and future as a coach on the Gold Coast.
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KEVIN Campion is one of the toughest Queenslanders to play rugby league; his relentless style wouldn’t be out of place in the Maroons pack in Origin II on Sunday night.
Campion talks about his past and future as a coach on the Gold Coast.
A KING’S WELCOME
Q: You started your career at the Gold Coast Seagulls. They were a battling club but nonetheless a good place to start?
A: I moved from Sarina, I drove down on the second of January (1992) and started training on the fourth of January.
When you look back, I think it was a great opportunity for any young kid who was aspiring to move forward in the NRL, it was certainly the place to have a crack. The coaches there were always willing to blood young kids coming through.
Q: The face of the club at one stage was Queensland icon Wally Lewis. Did you ever get a chance to play with him? That would have been a buzz for a youngster.
A: He was the captain-coach in ’92. They picked four guys who they had basically earmarked for the future of Seagulls to sit on the bench for the touring Poms side and that was in ’92 so that was our opportunity to play with The King but he pulled out the night of the game. We all sort of ran on the field but The King wasn’t there.
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BIG SHOES TO FILL
Q: You got your first chance in Queensland colours during the Super League era but had to wait until 2001 beyond that?
A: To be named in the Queensland side in ’97 was a great honour but it was only half a competition and everyone knew that.
To actually play Origin was amazing and to be called up to that side in 2001 was something special. I mean that’s what we all aspire to. You have got to realise I’m coming from a little town in central Queensland called Sarina, a town that has produced three of the great modern day players of any era: Martin Bella, Dale Shearer and Wendell Sailor, so I had big shoes to fill when I left. I always had the dream of following their footsteps.
Q: The Maroons bounced back from a rough 2000 series to win that year. How was that?
A: Wayne (Bennett) changed everything. Going into camp, there was no going out and getting on the drink … it was drilled into us basically from the minute we walked into camp that we had the weight of Queensland on our shoulders.
IRISH HONOUR
Q: Also on your rep resume is a 2000 World Cup campaign for Ireland, which you qualified for through your grandparents?
A: I got asked by France and also Ireland. I obviously can’t speak French so that was a reason for going to the Irish and I knew a few of the guys that were in that side. Luke Ricketson was in there, Danny Williams from the Storm, Jamie Mathiou, Dave Barnhill, so we had a good crew.
We stayed in Ireland for three weeks I think it was and did a bit of research on the history of our families, all of the Aussie boys that were involved. It was a great experience and a real honour to tell you the truth.
CLEANING UP IN LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL
Q: After your playing days you moved into an assistant coach role at the Warriors in 2005. I know you’ve spoken of that being a tough gig.
A: I loved the job but it was difficult in just coaching mates and trying to discipline them.
They were mostly the same age as me and it wasn’t long ago that I was playing with most of them. It was hard.
Q: So a professional coaching career didn’t quite work out. What have you been up to since then?
A: We had a development company and we developed little townhouses down at Pottsville. Then we bought a real estate agency down in Pottsville, a Ray White. Then I moved up to Gladstone to set up a cleaning company. A mate of mine was building a large accommodation camp up there and wanted us to clean the facility. And that’s what I’m doing now, I’ve got a commercial cleaning business and also a protective coating business and it’s going well.
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ALFIE IS MY TOP PICK
Q: Back to your NRL days. You tasted a lot more success post-Seagulls, making four grand finals all up …
A: Each club has a special time and place in my heart. The Dragons was a fantastic club with a lot of tradition, obviously with their 11 straight premierships and a great following. That ’96 side was a good side; we went down to the minor premiers in Manly.
Then you go to that ’98 side at the Broncos, probably one of the best grand final teams of all time, so I was lucky enough to be at the Broncos at that stage of my career.
And then when I left in 2000 we won another one. From that ’98 side to that 2000 side, it was just a totally different brand of football.
The ’98 side just had tremendous attacking ability with some of the great players but the 2000 side was a bit more forward focused. And then you look at the 2002 side, it was just an amazing time over in New Zealand. The whole country was behind us.
Everyone loves a winner and we got to play with some great players as well, Stacey Jones and Ali Lauiti’iti and Ivan Cleary.
We probably thought we would never lose that grand final … but on that particular day we just lost our way. I think a few of the players were overawed by the occasion.
Q: You played with many of the game’s biggest names. Who was the best player of the lot?
A: The best player I played with was Allan Langer. He was just unbelievable, you could just follow him around and score tries. Stacey Jones and Darren Lockyer are up there as the best players that I have played with but “Alfie” is the pick of them.
FROM COAST UNDER-20S TO TEST FOOTY
PROUD TO COACH AGAIN
Q: You got back into coaching last year, taking Tweed to their maiden Rugby League Gold Coast grand final.
A: Yeah look, it was great. Obviously Runaway Bay (pictured) were the better side on the day but in saying that we had some major injuries. We had a couple of guys get knocked out on the day and our halfback was playing with a broken foot.
I was really proud to be involved but I’m coaching Bilambil at the moment. They are a terrific club to be involved with. We’re a very courageous club.
Q: Bilambil don’t have the resources of say a Burleigh but they seem to embody what park footy is all about?
A: The boys don’t take things too seriously. They love a beer after the game, they love a beer after training and that’s what I’m sort of getting my head around at the moment. It was a bit more professional at Tweed last year because we had guys vying for a QCup (Intrust Super Cup) position, so there was a lot of competition within the ranks. It’s a different style of footy so you have just got to take a step back and go with the flow.
Q: Can you see yourself being there long-term or is it a year-by-year kind of thing?
A: Yeah look, this year and next year, I’m trying to put some structures in place at the club and I’m all for blooding juniors. I think it is great for the club moving forward.
SEAGULLS ‘UNSUNG HERO’ RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
FOCUS ON THE BASICS
Q: Do you try to adapt bits and pieces from Wayne Bennett and co into your own coaching?
A: Oh look, I’m trying to just bring back some skill-based training to the boys. Wayne kept it really simple, he obviously had some great players to work with but at the end of the day footy is a really simple game. Whoever completes and holds the ball generally wins and that’s what I have tried to instil into these guys.
They like replicating the NRL but you have still got to have a really good foundation of skills to be able to perform some of these things that they do at that level. I have got young kids in their 18s who love flick-passing but nine out of 10 times it goes to ground and they never practice it at training, only during the games, so you have just got to be able to work within your capabilities.
Q: So who would you be tipping to win the A-grade comp if it’s not Bilambil?
A: Burleigh, they’re a step above everyone else. They are really clinical and well coached and have a great structure but you have got guys going up and down from (Intrust Super) Cup so you would expect that. I think it will be Burleigh and Runaway Bay or Tugun. It’s really a hard one.
Q: And you’re also part of a great cause in the school-based anti-ice awareness program.
A: Yes, we go in and talk to students about the dangers of the drug. Our presenters are all ex-ice addicts. The presentation is extremely confronting for the students.
Age: 47
Birthplace: Sarina, Queensland
Children: Austin, Max and Isla
NRL CAREER
Debut: Round 2, 1993 for Gold Coast Seagulls against Illawarra Steelers at Tweed Heads
Games: 241
Points: 92 (20 tries, 6 goals)
Win-draw-loss record: 116-10-115 (48.13 per cent)
NRL clubs: Gold Coast Seagulls
(1993-95), St George (1996), Adelaide (1997), Brisbane (1998-2000), New Zealand Warriors (2001-02), North Queensland (2003-04).
Premierships: 2 (1998 and 2000)
Runners-up: 2 (1996 and 2002)
REPRESENTATIVE CAREER
Queensland games: 6 (2 in Super League Tri-Series, 4 in State of Origin including 2001 series win)
International Tests: 4 (all for Ireland at the 2000 World Cup)
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