Ironmen in State of Origin test at Coolangatta Gold to raise funds for injured mate

THEY won’t be racing for the individual prize but some of the biggest names in surf lifesaving will line up in the Coolangatta Gold to help raise funds for one of their own.

THEY won’t be racing for the individual prize but some of the biggest names in surf lifesaving will line up in the Coolangatta Gold to help raise funds for one of their own.

A State of Origin battle will unfold in the relay events of the iconic surf sports endurance test as Queensland and NSW teams go head-to-head over two days of competition as they raise funds for former Australian lifesaving representative Jess Collins.

Collins suffered a broken neck and spinal damage when she came off a stand-up paddleboard while surfing at Snapper Rocks earlier this year, with the accident leaving the Newcastle resident in a motorised wheelchair.

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Mackenzie Hynard will compete for NSW in the State of Origin relay in the Coolangatta Gold.

Some of the sport’s top names, including five-time Gold winner Caine Eckstein and current Australian ironman champion Kendrick Louis, will race to help raise funds for the Sunflowers for Jess crowd-funding campaign with the backing of investment firm Shaw and Partners.

Queensland will be captained by nine-time Nutri-Grain series winner Shannon Eckstein, with Gold specialist Caine Eckstein, Corey Hill and Luke Cuff joining them in maroon.

Louis will captain NSW and join former Nutri-Grain series champion Matt Poole, Curumbin’s Hayden White and ski specialist Mackenzie Hynard.

Northcliffe’s Hynard said the teams would line up in both the shortcourse and longcourse Gold relays on October 6-7.

“Within the Coolangatta Gold there’ll be a State of Origin relay and we’ll do both the short and the long course,” Hynard said.

“The teams will be made up of four athletes … and you can’t do the same leg twice.

“I’m a ski paddler, so I’ll paddle in the long distance one on the Sunday and I’ll have to run in the short distance one on Saturday.

Australian ironman champion Kendrick Louis will captain NSW in the State of Origin relay.

“Everyone will be in the same boat alternating and it evens the playing field.

“The winner will be decided on the time differential between Saturday and Sunday.”

Hynard said the athletes had decided to band together to help raise funds for Collins given the race start was close to Snapper Rocks where her accident occurred.

“Whatever we can raise between the eight of us, Shaw and Partners will match and we’ll donate it to the sunflowers for Jess foundation,” he said.

“That’s a little thing we can do to make a little difference.”