The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs may not be reaping the rewards their fans hoped for early in 2022 however they may win some additional fans across the TRL landscape after announcing Blake Mara, coach of the Clydesdales Colts, as their Academy Coach for the Toowoomba and south-west region.
The NRL club has established a partnership with the Western Clydesdales and will develop an academy program in south-west Queensland to help emerging players to rise through the Clydesdales ranks to the Bulldogs NRL team thus providing a very definite pathway for those aspiring to an NRL career.
Bulldogs Football General Manager Phil Gould was in Toowoomba this past week to announce Mara as the inaugural Bulldogs Academy Coach and hold discussion around the program and its establishment.
“Blake has been employed by the Bulldogs to run the Bulldogs Academy up here for the Western Clydesdales,” Gould said.
“It will be a satellite program.
“We’re delighted to be associated with Toowoomba to offer this to the kids of this area to give them a pathway through to the NRL and allow them to stay in their region and play football in their region, but still get access to expert coaching and high performance.”
Mara will run the program in Toowoomba on behalf of the Bulldogs.
The NRL club will assist him with coach-the-coach programs and coach-the-player programs and provide opportunities for kids to see that as a pathway to the Q-Cup and perhaps the NRL and beyond.
Mara was said he is thrilled to be given the opportunity to work closely with the Bulldogs and help develop talent across this region.
“It’s a terrific opportunity to be mentored by Phil and the club,” he said.
“I’m really passionate about helping our younger players in their pursuit of their dreams, so it’s really good that regional kids are going to get opportunities right at their doorstep to progress on to that level of footy.”
The establishment of these programs in nursery areas particularly in the country is vitally important to the future off the NRL and whether you are a Doggies fan or not the organisation is to be commended on the initiative.
