The Shore Thing: Nutri-Grain Series trials, international recruits and young guns you must know this summer
Discover every athlete competing at the Nutri-Grain trials, who is under pressure to perform, the young guns set to upstage the stars this summer and the Olympian who headlines the recruits and more. The biggest news and rumours of surf sports is here
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It’s been labelled the widow-maker by some and the greatest weekend of racing by others.
The Nutri-Grain trials are upon us, with over 100 athletes across the male and female ranks to compete for just seven places on the series at Tugun on Saturday and Sunday.
Ten have automatically qualified from last year, the Next Gen winner gets a spot, the seven top trialists make up the next batch while two wildcards are given out to make a field of 20 for the men and the same for the women.
With racing now here following the Wanda Club Classic at the end of October, the rumour mill is in overdrive and the news is coming hard and fast. See it all below.
TAME TIME AT BURLEIGH
World champion and Olympic bronze medal-winning kayaker Lachlan Tame has penned a deal with Burleigh Mowbray Park.
Last week we hinted that the club had signed an elite paddler for the 2023/24 season and now it can be revealed that Tame is the new arrival.
Tame has long held links to Avoca Beach SLS but has spent a huge amount of time on the Gold Coast in recent years to train with the nation’s top kayakers.
BLEEDING BLUE
Lizzie Welborn was the only NSW-based athlete to compete in last year’s Nutri-Grain Ironwoman Series and she couldn’t be prouder.
While many from NSW have migrated to Queensland to train at some of the powerhouse clubs in large and elite groups, the 25-year-old, who grew up in the eastern suburbs of Sydney and competes for Newport, has shown you can succeed at the top level back home.
Welborn finished second in the series last season and is primed to have another title at the title.
“I bleed blue. I’m too patriotic to do (move to Queensland),” Welborn said.
“I love being with my family and friends. I have never had the desire to go to Queensland.
“A lot of athletes move from NSW to Queensland and I’m very proud to be still here.
“I‘m really passionate about spreading the message that young NSW athletes can make it while staying here.”
BRUTAL NATURE OF THE TRIALS
Northcliffe men’s coach Kevin Morrison has labelled the Nutri-Grain trials as a widow-maker that leaves no room for error.
“Every year there are people who are going fast and people get big tickets on them but what the experienced guys will tell you is that one of the hardest things to do is make it through the Nutri-Grain trials,” Morrison said ahead of the trials, to be held on Saturday and Sunday at Tugun.
“It’s a real widow-maker and incredibly tough because you have so many people going for so few spots.
“You have zero room for error.
“It’s a points-based system and you have to get into the top 20 on the first day in order to race on the second.
“On the second day the points start from scratch and you have to get into top seven.
“People always miss out on countbacks or by a point. It’s very tricky and can only take one little bit of wind and wave and some bad luck and it can really hurt you.
“It’s a real dream of most iron men and women to be a Nutri-Grain athlete. For some that is all they think about from the time they are nippers.
“You can see the tension in the training sessions ramping up about now.
“I have a big squad with a lot of guys racing hard and you can see it gets a bit testy every now and then so you know when the tension starts to build.
“It’s definitely a challenge for us as a club and coaches to manage expectation and emotions. “Not everyone will make it but we have a big season with the Summer of Surf coming up so it is about getting on the horse and getting going again.
The powerhouse club already has five athletes who have qualified for this season’s series including last summer’s champion Matt Bevilacqua, Joe Collins, Cory Taylor, Zach Morris and Next Gen winner Mitch Morris.
Among the Northcliffe men hoping to qualify for this season’s series is Jake Morris, the twin of Mitch who would make it three from the one family to compete in the series together if he is successful.
Others include Tom Scott and Auden Parish who featured in the last series, brothers Kai, one of the strongest swimmers in the field, and Ryley Harland, newcomer Tex Dixon who has made the move from Surfers Paradise, fellow recruit and UK ironman champion Robert Whittaker.
EYES ON TJ HENDY
Intrigue surrounds TJ Hendy ahead of this weekend’s trials as he attempts to book his place in the Nutri-Grain Series with what could be a compromised shoulder.
Hendy pulled out of the Coolangatta Gold on October 15 with a shoulder injury and it is uncertain if he has fully recovered ahead of the trials at Tugun.
NEW BROADCAST DEAL?
The Summer of Surf is on the cusp of expanding its reach via a new broadcast deal that could take the sport into households overseas.
An announcement is expected within a week. Watch this space.
SHOULD THE NUMBER OF AUTO-QUALIFICATION SPOTS BE REDUCED?
Northcliffe women’s coach Naomi Flood says officials should consider reducing the amount of auto-qualification spots available for the Nutri-Grain series.
As it stands the athletes who finish in the top 10 get a start in the next series while the winner of the Next Gen series also qualifies.
“I’d like to see less people auto-qualify from the season before,” Flood said.
“Having more people under the pump and under pressure early is good. We have got the young ones coming through and they want to prove themselves against some quality girls and it’s important you make a statement around the trials.”
Northcliffe recruit Lily Finati has been labelled the smiling assassin since arriving from North Bondi and is set to push for a spot on the series.
“She is a great kid. We call her the smiling assassin because she is just laughing all the time and that is good to have around the group,” Flood said.
“She is only 19 and has come on in leaps and bounds.”
For fellow recruit Lana Rogers has already qualified after finishing sixth last season but the Coolangatta Gold champion is gunning for a series win after making the move from Alexandra Headland to the Gold Coast.
“She was actually thinking about coming down a year earlier and she just needed a change,” Flood said.
“She has fit in so well and been a breath of fresh air for so many people. She works in the bistro upstairs, works hard and has been a dream for the club.
“She hasn’t trained in a big group for a few years so I think it is helping.”
Last season’s champion Georgia Miller, Danielle McKenzie, Hannah Sculley and Next Gen winner Ruby Meehan are also locked in while a stellar cast of athletes from the club have it all to compete for this weekend.
Two-time series champion Harriet Brown will be trialling alongside clubmates Olivia Corrin, the current Australian and New Zealand board champion, Kalani Ives who finished second in last season’s Next Gen, last year’s trials winner and reigning Australian ironwoman champion Naomi Scott, Emily Doyle, Kalani Ives, Jade Slee, Bella Williams and internationals Claudia Kelly (NZ), Sara Tazaki (Japan), Elise Daudignon (France) and Nikita Nijssen-Seram (France).
CARBERRY SNEAKING TOWARDS SUMMER OF SURF PRIZE POOL
Ben Carberry could take the rug out from his rivals by putting together one of the most tactically smart Summer of Surf campaigns of the 2023/24 season.
Carberry won the opening event at Wanda at the end of last month to put 5000 points next to his name and could double it to 10,000 next weekend at Bulli.
The top five results are counted for each athlete, with most choosing to use 10,000 point events the Hayden Kenney Classic, Manly Open, North Bondi Classic, Shannon Eckstein Classic and the 7000 point Maroochy Classic to try and win the overall series.
But by overlooking the minor races, if something goes wrong in any of those bigger events then the athlete’s bid for the $10,000 in prizemoney that goes to the series champion would be in serious doubt.
If Carberry gets a second win next weekend, all he would need is some good performances in the bigger events to claim the series.
THE RIGHT GUY FOR THE JOB
Ironman legend Guy Andrews has overseen his first entire off-season with Kurrawa since shifting from Tallebugera mid-last year and he is already seeing a vast change in his athletes.
New recruits, familiar faces and taplin stars make up his growing squad on the Gold Coast and he is already impressed by what he is seeing.
Former Nutri-Grain competitor Tanyn Lyndon broke his toe a week out from last year’s trials and missed out on the series but he will attempt to get his spot back this weekend.
The 31-year-old tradie and father won multiple national titles as a junior and is still considered a force to be reckoned with in the surf.
Meanwhile youngster Luke Chapman is considered one of the club’s strongest Nutri-Grain hopefuls.
Angus Mackay, 21, has joined the club, moving up from South Australia to improve his craft skills while Benjamin Cervenak, 17, is going to compete in the trials for some experience.
In the female ranks recruit Michaela Whitmee has transferred from North Burleigh and is expected to be a crucial part of the club’s mixed taplin teams thanks to her speed and skills on the board.
Youngsters Annali Philpott and Alana Picton will both trial, with the latter moving from North Queensland to train under Andrews.
Teenager Kaia Sugars is also one to watch with the young gun preparing to compete at the downwind world championships in Western Australian later this month.
“We are building the club culture up and everyone is enjoying it,” Andrews said of the squad.
“People want to be there and train together.”
CHAMPION CREATING CHAMPIONS
Surf legend Ky Hurst never had a desire to become a head coach of a surf club but the natural progression into his role at Mermaid SLS sits more than comfortably with him.
Hurst is part of a dream team of coaches at Mermaid, with Matt Poole taking board sessions while Bonnie Hancock continues to oversee the nipper program.
“It is all going really well. The numbers are growing and the kids are developing really quickly,” Hurst said.
“I never really wanted the head coaching role. It just happened and unfolded that way.
“For me it’s been about trying to help as many athletes as I can. I started coaching a couple of years ago with the intention of having athletes from all clubs come to me and get what they need while still representing their own club.
“Mermaid has been such a nice club to be involved with and I think we have built a really great team.
“Having Matt with his experience and Bonnie with her experience, I don’t think you could pick a better coaching structure.”
Madeline Thomson stands as Mermaid’s greatest hope of securing a spot on the Nutri-Grain Series when she trials this week while Jeremy Kneen, Jack Walton and George Wenman will all feature in the men’s trials.
“Maddie has the strength and the speed to do it,: Hurst said.
“She has just come out of surgery recently but was training exceptionally well before that.”
EVERY ATHLETE LISTED TO COMPETE AT THE NUTRI-GRAIN TRIALS
Male:
Rhys Burrows (Alexandra Headland), Brayden Casamento (Alexandra Headland), Keenan Gray (Alexandra Headland), Campbell Guthrie (Alexandra Headland), Byron Oliphant (Alexandra Headland), Kyton Pickering (Alexandra Headland), Dylan Pilkington (Alexandra Headland), Henry Simpson (Alexandra Headland), Alec Stewart (Alexandra Headland), Taj Andrews (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Daniel Barron (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Ethan Callaghan (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Saxon Coates (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Declan Dempster (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Santxo Etcheverry (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Samuel Frost (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Drew Green (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Blake Hessel (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Ky Howell (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Dillon Howell (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Zach King (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Darby Meyer (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Samuel O’Connor (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Sean Rielly (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Will Savage (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Noah Thomas (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Nathan Mackenzie (Byron Bay), Stephen Carcary (Cooks Hill), Alexander Walker (Cooks Hill), William Banister (Cronulla), Jay Furniss (Cronulla), Nathan Jay (Cronulla), Lucas Berezwick (Currumbin), Riley Brennan (Currumbin), Callum Brennan (Currumbin), Nicholas Green (Currumbin), Ryan Green (Currumbin), Charlie Morris (Elouera), Kai Robertson (Elouera), Benjamin Cervenak (Kurrawa), Luke Chapman (Kurrawa), Tanyn Lyndon (Kurrawa), Angus Mackay (Kurrawa), Hayden Cotter (Manly), Kendrick Louis (Manly), Joseph McMenamin (Mooloolaba), Cooper Armitstead (Maroochydore), Byron Dieckmann (Maroochydore), Sam Harris (Maroochydore), Oliver Monaghan (Maroochydore), Joel Piper (Maroochydore), Jeremy Kneen (Mermaid Beach), Jack Walton (Mermaid Beach), George Wenman (Mermaid Beach), Riley Rasmussen (North Burleigh), Cooper Bessell (Dicky Beach), Tanner Baxter (Northcliffe), Texas Dixon (Northcliffe), Jack Dufaur (Northcliffe), Wesley Gould (Northcliffe), Kai Harland (Northcliffe), Ryley Harland (Northcliffe), Jake Morris (Northcliffe), Auden Parish (Northcliffe), Thomas Scott (Northcliffe), Robert Whittaker (Northcliffe), Ben Blakeney (Newport), Jackson Borg (Newport), Charlie Brooks (Newport), Luke Chaffer (Newport), Thomas Doyle (Newport), Anthony Doyle (Newport), Noah Maggs (Newport), Conner Maggs (Newport), Charlie Verco (Newport), Lachlan Warrener (Newport), Kane Edwards (Redhead), Justin McMorland (Redhead), Brodie Wright (Redhead), Max Beattie (Surfers Paradise), Jesse Coulson (Surfers Paradise), Trevor Hendy (Surfers Paradise), Ben Highfield (Surfers Paradise), Isaac Keighran (Surfers Paradise), Will Larven (Surfers Paradise), Lachlan Merchant (Surfers Paradise), Maalik Moston (Surfers Paradise), Mitchell Stitt (Surfers Paradise), Kye Taylor (Surfers Paradise), Archie Vernon (Surfers Paradise), Fletcher Warn (Surfers Paradise), Josh Patterson (Southport (Qld)), Zane Hadley (Sunshine Beach), Brendan Otto (Sunshine Beach), Zale Outram (Sunshine Beach), Nicholas Stoddart (Swansea Belmont), Bryn Gaha (Terrigal), Ky Kinsela (Tugun), Ryan Muggeridge (Tugun), Rhyam Pankhurst (Tugun), Nicholas Middleton (Wanda), Noah Steiner (Wanda), Benjamin Sutton (Wanda), Jayden Beaumont (Warilla Barrack Point), Patrick Eley (Sorrento (WA)), Jayden Murphy (Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service (NZ)), Daniel Callebut (East End (NZ)), Mael Tissier (Hossegor Sauvetage Cotier (FRN)),
Female:
Serena Bond (Alexandra Headland), Sarah Cleverly (Alexandra Headland), Sive Gibson (Alexandra Headland), Tayla Halliday (Alexandra Headland), Grace Harris (Alexandra Headland), Eliza Parish (Alexandra Headland), Milly Petersen (Alexandra Headland), Leah Pilkington (Alexandra Headland), Summer Rolston (Alexandra Headland), Abbie Tolano (Alexandra Headland), Zoe Woods (Alexandra Headland), Emma Woods (Alexandra Headland), Bronte Ayres (Avoca Beach), Jazzmyn Fillingham (Avoca Beach), Charlotte Cross (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Kirstie Hardstaff (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Soraya Lee (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Holly Maine (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Charlize Menefy (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Yukiko Nambu (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Grace Otto (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Bianca Rayward (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Jasmine Rayward (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Claudia-Rose Slaven (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Brittany Hooton (Emu Park), Annali Philpott (Kurrawa), Alana Picton (Kurrawa), Michaela Whitmee (Kurrawa), Ella Garrett (Manly), Tilla Garrett (Manly), Georgia Singleton (Manly), Dominique Stitt (Mooloolaba), Courtney Bryant (Maroochydore), Charlotte Davey (Maroochydore), Yve Warren (Maroochydore), Madeline Thomson (Mermaid Beach), Anastasja Hughey (Dicky Beach), Emily Maythers (North Cronulla), Carla Papac (Noosa Heads), Cyra Bender (Northcliffe), Harriet Brown (Northcliffe), Olivia Corrin (Northcliffe), Emily Doyle (Northcliffe), Lily Finati (Northcliffe), Kalani Ives (Northcliffe), Claudia Kelly (Northcliffe), Nikita Nijssen-Seran (Northcliffe), Naomi Scott (Northcliffe), Jade Slee (Northcliffe), Sara Tazaki (Northcliffe), Bella Williams (Northcliffe), Olivia Clues (Newport), Kimberley Doyle (Newport), Piper Harrison (Newport), Analise Kibble (Newport), Pipi Te Mania (Newport), Tully Elliott (Redhead), Lani Waller (Redhead), Grace Giblett (Surfers Paradise), Emily Holyman (Surfers Paradise), Gemma Smith-Welch (Surfers Paradise), Imogen Stewart (Surfers Paradise), Claire Van Kampen (Surfers Paradise), Chelsea Jentz (Southport (Qld)), Electra Outram (Sunshine Beach), Elizabeth Shearer (Terrigal), Elise Daudignon (FR) (Hossegor Sauvetage Cotier (FRN)
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