The glaring spotlight of a State 7s Championship isn't going to phase the GC Cyclones U15 boys.
One week out from the tournament and we caught up with coach Ramsey Skelly and young gun Maharni Milner to discover how our youngsters are preparing for their time on the big stage.
Coach Ramsey Skelly (Coach): The preparation leading into selections was slow due to unforeseen circumstances but I eventually named the team list and trading has been intense. There’s been a lot of skills based training and we are focused on polishing the fundamentals.
Maharni Milner (MM): We have been focusing on our structure, 1vs1 tackles and team building. We had trial matches on the weekend which helped us find out what we need to continue to work on over the next few weeks and in the lead up.
Coach: The team is filled with speedsters, play-makers and game-breakers. The big forwards are doing the grunt work to set-up the backline for the fast spreading of the ball to the edges where our speedsters are. They have an excellent chip and chase game. Don’t blink when these boys get the ball or you’ll miss the magic.
MM: I would say effective communication
Coach: We’ve approached the 7’s using a similar playing strategy to touch football. Spreading our offence forces the defence to spread out, creating gaps for our speedsters to capitalise on. But we’ve gone with an unorthodox approach with our big forwards hitting the ball up by going wider than usual, trying to create a one on one situation however, support play is what creates tries.
MM: 7's training requires a lot ofhigher fitness levels. We also need to focus on 1vs1 tackles as there is less people on the field.
Coach: The general feeling within the team is calm as most of them have played for representative teams e.g. Cyclones, Qld Country, Qld Barbarians and DT7’s etc. The boys are more focused on getting the fundamentals right rather than winning.
MM: This is the inaugural 7's state championship for U15's. We will be the first team to play u15's cyclones State Cup for 7's. We have a great vibe on and off the field.
Coach: Work together as a unit, give it everything you’ve got. Play like there’s no tomorrow because it makes you unpredictable and that makes you very difficult to defend. And don’t forget to just enjoy yourselves.
MM: Have fun, play with confidence and have faith in each other.
