RLMD SIGNING TRACKER: Bowden lifts lid on Souths Sharks’ transfer feeding frenzy

Souths Sharks’ A-grade coach Mark Bowden tells all after a stunning offseason which has netted multiple former NRL stars including a Dally M medallist.

Ben Barba. Walgett Aboriginal Connection (WAC) vs Nanima Common Connection, Koori Knockout Grand Final from Bathurst. Picture: Warren Gannon Photography

You’d be hard-pressed to find a club in Queensland that’s had a better off-season than Rugby League Mackay and District’s Souths Sharks, as the local team has picked up three former NRL players to join its ranks for 2025.

Now in his third year at the helm of their A-grade side, head coach Mark Bowden has managed to lure Dally M medallist Ben Barba and Kenny Edwards from local rivals Sarina and Mackay Magpies respectively.

They’ll join a batch of new recruits including another former NRL player in Manu Ma’u, the leading RLMD tryscorer of 2024 in Maika Tudravu, as well as Jesuah Wini and Augustus Rangihuna.

Maika Tudravu Mackay Magpies vs Brothers Mackay Preliminary final at the Mackay District Rugby League. Sunday 1 September 2024 Picture: Michaela Harlow

“I’d say all these high profile players have come to us. That’s a credit to our coaching staff and our club for turning this place around,” Bowden said.

“When I first arrived here two and a half years ago, I was told this used to be a very successful club that has since gone backwards.

“So I looked at it as a three-year plan, and with this season being my third I believe we’re tracking pretty well.

“My coaching style is going to change next season, with the amount of talent we have on the park my attention will be on managing. Making sure those jigsaw puzzle pieces fit together.”

Kenny Edwards during his NRL days with the Parramatta Eels. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)

Bowden said his primary focus when he arrived was on fixing the culture within the club, and that had to come from signing local talent rather than flying in players from elsewhere.

“For the last couple of years we’ve used a pretty young squad, I didn’t try and poach players from outside of the Mackay area,” he said.

“The culture was pretty ordinary when I got there, and I said the way to fix that culture is not by flying people in, it’s by targeting locals.

“It’s why we went after Marmin Barba (Ben’s brother) for one, and why we went after four or five under-20s in the mix at Cutters that year.

Manu Ma'u during his NRL playing days with the Eels. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts) NO ARCHIVING

“The whole purpose was the build up a strong base of local players, and it seems to have worked for us with the likes of Kenny Edwards and Maika who came to us because of our culture, they felt comfortable here.”

The prevailing theme throughout Bowden’s comments is culture, and he said it’s something he has prided himself on since day one with Souths.

“That’s what we hang our hats on, I want a group of blokes that are willing to run through a brick wall for their coach,” he said.

“If you’ve got that, if you’ve got guys that will dig deep for you, then you’re on the right path.”

Originally published as RLMD SIGNING TRACKER: Bowden lifts lid on Souths Sharks’ transfer feeding frenzy