QUEANBEYAN Blues forward Mitch Day says the recruitment of ex-Canberra Raiders hooker Simon Woolford as coach this season has brought a new vibe to the club.
And Day revealed Woolford’s appointment played a major role in his re-signing with the Blues after the 22-year-old had been planning a code-switch to rugby union.
Day had been set to sign with Easts in the John I Dent Cup this season before taking up an opportunity to play rugby in the United States later this year.
But the former Raiders junior was lured back to league after becoming convinced the Blues were set to re-emerge as a competition powerhouse this season.
“Simon was a really big part of me staying,” Day said. “He just said to me that I’d been here for a little while now and he didn’t want me to miss out on what looks like is going to be a pretty good year.
“He was pretty keen to have me come back so I went to a couple of training sessions and there was a really good vibe around the place.
“You could just tell everyone really wanted to be there and that the club would be able to give the title a real shake this year.”
After some initially shaky pre-season trial form, those aspirations remain firmly on track with the Blues having quickly emerged as heavyweight premiership contenders this year.
Last weekend saw the Blues account for last year’s champions the Belconnen United Scholars 22-18 at Northbourne Oval.
While the Blues secured the two competition points, perhaps even more pleasing for the club was former Canberra Raiders forward Trevor Thurling emerging unscathed from the clash.
Thurling got through 45 minutes of work in his first appearance for the Blues this season and Day said the NRL backrower’s presence alone was a massive boost for the side.
“We’re pretty close family friends and I was saying to Trevor before the game last weekend that I was actually pretty excited to be playing with him,” Day said.
“He’s a level above everyone else in the competition, everything is does is just so aggressive.”
The Blues will be expected to extend their winning start to the season to three games when they take on Woden Valley at Phillip this Saturday.
Source: http://www.queanbeyanage.com.au/story/1473536/a-new-day-at-the-blues/?cs=12
Topic: A new Day at the Blues
