Redhead Competitors Ride Home Break In Blues Quest

Newcastle Herald

Thursday January 1, 2009

By JOSH LEESON

STATE selection will be a big incentive for Redhead surf-lifesavers Hannah Trypas, Jessica Collins, Isaac Morgan and Matt Fairbairn when their club hosts the final round of the NSW Premiership Series on Saturday.

Redhead will enter a club record 60 competitors for the event and will hope the home-break advantage helps the quartet's chances of making the NSW team.

Trypas will compete in the under 14s, and the other three will represent Redhead in the under 15s.

"The selectors will take notice of this carnival and the two big ones at the end of the month at Freshwater and Manly," Redhead competition co-ordinator Garry McLachlan said.

"If they're lucky enough they will compete at Perth [in the Australian Interstate Championships] just after the Australian Championships in March for NSW.

"Certainly Jessica and Isaac look likely to be selected and possibly Matt. The three of them have been in the state team for the last two years, so they're fairly good competitors."

About 400 surf-lifesavers from NSW are expected to converge on Redhead Beach with $11,000 in prizemoney up for grabs.

NSW open men's ski champion Peter Scott and state open men's board titleholder Stewart McLachlan lead the home club's senior charge.

Redhead are well positioned overall in the club pointscore race after successful NSW Premierships Series rounds at Towradgi and Wanda Beach in November.

Redhead are in third place, 30 points behind leaders Cronulla and six shy of second-placed Terrigal.

"I don't think Redhead have ever won a competition to make them the premier club in the state," McLachlan said.

"We certainly have a lot of good competitors at the moment, which is good for the Hunter region."

© 2009 Newcastle Herald

Back to News Index | Back to Home