10/10/2026
It has been 24 years since Iโve been a part of a Junior Nationals!
A much different role this time around.๐
It was an absolute pleasure to coach and mentor the Junior Queensland team alongside Kelsey Cottrell at this yearโs Nationals here at Mount Lawley Bowling Club in Perth, WA.
The adaptability and resilience of our juniors were amazing throughout the tournament. Conditions were tricky at the best of times, but these young Queenslanders embraced it all and fronted up with great attitudes and application, bowl after bowl. Iโm so pleased that many of them were rewarded with medals for their efforts. ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ป
I am so proud of each and every one of them for their willingness to take on feedback, for their collective performance and, above all, the way they all exemplified what it means to represent their state and wear the Queensland shirt with distinction.
A massive thank you to Bowls Queensland for the opportunity to work in this space and for looking after us all while away. A big thank you to Patrick Walsh and Anne Russell, who managed the teams and had everything running according to plan.
Congratulations to Bowls Australia, Mount Lawley Bowls Club and their volunteers on a fantastic event that was exceptionally well run. Also, well done on being able to pivot so quickly to finish the tournament when the weather turned in the final stages.
Lastly, congratulations to all the participants who played the games in great spirits. It was great to see these juniors treating each other with such respect and kindness, creating and keeping friendships that will span across the nation for many years to come.
Time now to turn my focus to the Alley Shield!
QUEENDSLANDER!!! ๐ช๐ป