Sunshine Coast Falcons coach Brad Henderson, Danny Gray preview 2024 season
Sunshine Coast Falcons coaches Brad Henderson and Danny Gray have revealed what excites them the most about their side’s 2024 chances as well as broken down their key signings, rising stars and crucial match-ups. See the full Falcons season preview ahead of round one.
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The next batch of Sunshine Coast Falcons rugby league talent are eager to create their own slice of history as the official countdown begins to the start of the 2024 Hostplus Cup and BMD Premiership seasons.
Both sides kick off on Sunday, March 10 away against the Brisbane Tigers.
Prior to round one we caught up with head coaches Brad Henderson (Hostplus Cup) and Danny Gray (BMD Premiership) to get the complete rundown on how their squads were shaping up.
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HOSTPLUS CUP
Henderson, who is accompanied by his two assistant coaches Dan Murphy and Leon Cherry, was excited for the season to begin after a jam-packed off-season.
“There’s quite a few new faces which is nothing unusual at this level but it’s probably a few more than usual this year,” he said.
“We had a big turnover but went for a lot more depth in the squad as well to consolidate the back end of the season when you know injuries are coming.
“Because there’s so many new guys we’ve had to unpack our footy and the way we play to a degree but that’s been a positive as well.
“From a recruitment perspective, this is my third year and it’s the best I’ve done so I’m pretty happy.”
Those key ins include the likes of Poasi Manu (Melbourne Storm) and Mackay’s 2023 Rookie of the Year, Flynn Camilleri but Henderson praised the added mongrel to his forward pack and new halves pairing.
“Our big three in terms of recruits were Caius Faatili who’s just spent the full pre-season and trials with the Storm,” he said.
“Nofoasa Malutoa, who also did pre-season with the Storm, is a big middle forward with plenty of whack to him and plays a little bit nasty.
“The other is Cody Hunter, a halfback from Redcliffe that’s been in great form through the trials, he fits in really well personality wise and I think he’ll play his best footy here.
“There are some other key signings that have gone a bit quite and I don’t want to put much pressure on them because some are only young guys, some haven’t played a lot of Queensland Cup and some are just looking for a second chance which we’re pretty good at providing.”
After Queensland Rugby League boss Ben Ikin axed the under-21s competition at the end of last season, a number of rising stars have already made an impact on Henderson’s squad.
“The younger guys have been fantastic, Harry Dwyer through the middle is learning off some great players and he’s already come leaps and bounds,” he said.
“I was really impressed with his trial form and that’s the same for Mason Peut and Taine Couper who have been exceptional.
“They’re two standouts for us at the Falcons who we hold high hopes for and hopefully see them end up in a Melbourne Storm jersey.
“Elliott Smethills is another one as well who sort of came out of the woodwork a bit last year and had a breakout season for the Colts.
“There’s some other young kids that we’ve recruited in who we think will make their mark on the team and also put a lot of pressure on some of our more experienced guys.”
The men in yellow and black have also managed to re-sign a number of standout players from 2023.
“Kane Jackson is still only a young fella but is an outstanding outside back who is powerful, fast, ticks the scoreboard over and the best defensive centre in the competition in my view,” Henderson said.
“We’re expecting big things from him like usual and that’s the same for guys like Luke Polselli who’s moving into the halves this year and I think it’s the right time for him to do so.
“He’s got that football brain and having him closer to the footy or at first receiver can only be good for us.
“Lewis Geraghty, our edge back rower sets the standard for toughness within the group and sets the standard for expectations around performance on game day.
“That rounds out to our two big leaders Sam Burns and Patrice Siolo who are our barometer for energy and attitude and the guys we turn to when it gets tough.”
The Falcons will play away in round one against 2023 premiers the Brisbane Tigers, who also share an affiliation with the Storm.
“Round one is always a big one, the Tigers had a great finish to the season last year so it’ll be nice to start against those guys and there’s a bit of a rivalry as we’re both Storm feeder clubs,” Henderson said.
“We also just love playing at home, it’s always a good occasion here and we don’t know what next season will look like for us and where we’ll play so we want to make sure it’s special for our members and the general public.”
The Storm have also added NSW cup side the North Sydney Bears as a third feeder club which is expected to have a kick back effect on the Falcons.
“I think last year was a real anomaly, you don’t usually get that many players each week whereas in 2022 we averaged something like 3.3 players per game,” he said.
“I think it will be similar to that but all we know is whoever comes up are quality players and they come up with great attitudes so we just want to make sure we’re spot-on and welcoming to those guys.
“It’ll be a hard team to pick every week which is great, we’ve just got to make sure we’re looking after those players, making sure they’re not far off the pace and that they’re tearing up the local competition like they should be.”
BMD PREMIERSHIP
As the clock ticks closer to the Falcons inaugural BMD season, new head coach Danny Gray has described the past few weeks as ‘extremely exciting’.
Gray, who is joined by assistant coaches Renee Dennien, Zeke Field and Becky Jones, took over the coaching duties from Steve Belsham in January after Belsham stepped down due to personal reasons.
The former Sunshine Coast Falcons under-18s coach said he was pleased with how the pre-season had been tracking.
“It’s a really good group that’s keen to learn and they’ve got heaps of energy so in the time that I’ve been here it’s been really good,” he said.
“After each trial it’s been about rectifying things that the girls weren't happy with which has been really pleasing for me as a coach knowing their driving those changes.
“As a whole I think we’ve got a really good mix of skill, toughness, energy and competitiveness which all help and if we execute the style of footy we want to play we’ll be competitive for sure.”
The club acted quickly to secure four big name signings of Annette Brander, Hayley Maddick, Maddie Studdon and Keisha-Leigh Coolwell.
“For the players that have played for Australia or in the NRLW their experience has been awesome already,” he said.
“Annette and Hayley are obviously both elite level players and they’re also Sunshine Coast locals so they’ve got that added connection to the girls.
“Maddie has just moved here as well, she’s a genuine seven that knows her craft, knows what she likes and how she likes to play which has already helped the players around her massively.”
Gray said while the focus was aimed at females from the local competition, they had also attracted some interstate NRLW stars.
“Our side will predominantly be Sunshine Coast girls, we will have a few other players fly in and out of Sydney just because their local competition doesn’t start until the NRLW does and they’re just looking for game time.
“From that bunch we’ve signed Holli Wheeler, Sheridan Gallagher and former Caboolture junior Otesa Pule.
“Then there’s a few coming from Brisbane as well but the majority of our squad is stretched from Caboolture to Gympie because we want to be promoting our local girls who have earned their spot.
“I don’t want to put anyone up on a mantle piece too much but there’s players that have been training really well like Shanae Gray, Jordy Jackson, Ella-J Harris and so many more.”
Gray said he was eager to see his side run out of the tunnel on Sunday.
“It’s really exciting for these girls, especially for those players that have been on the Sunshine Coast for a long time,” Gray said.
“For them to have something right on their doorstep that’s the rung below NRLW is an awesome stepping stone for them.
“They don’t have to leave home like players have had to in the past to chase that dream or opportunity.”
Originally published as Sunshine Coast Falcons coach Brad Henderson, Danny Gray preview 2024 season
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