The Year of the Dolphin

By Dan Hutton on March 3, 2016 in News

Photo: Nick Cook

To the Chinese, 2016 may well be the year of the fire monkey, but we have it on good authority that around the Eastern Beaches, 2016 is set to be the year of the dolphin.

The Coogee Dolphins have had a busy start to 2016 under the guidance of club president Ben Cook, who is entering his second season in the role after he took over from club stalwart Brock Thompson at the end of the 2014 season.

“My first season as president was very enjoyable,” Mr Cook said. “I had an enthusiastic and hands on committee to work with, so we were able to implement a few new things and try to involve all of our stakeholders throughout the year.

“On the field it was a little disappointing. We have been going through a rebuilding phase the last couple of years, but things are moving in the right direction.

“Off the field we were able to increase our participation across our netball, junior and senior rugby league sides.

“We also raised a lot of money for the Randwick Children’s Hospital and the Tate Burley Memorial Foundation. Socially, it was an unbelievably good year.”

This year the club has already held its annual Mate of Origin touch footy game and they have another couple of big events in March before the regular season gets underway.

“We have a three way trial with the Terrigal Sharks and Tumut Blues on March 5 and then we travel to Wagga for our annual match against Wagga Brothers for the Dave Mavroudis Cup on March 19,” Mr Cook said. “The season proper doesn’t start until April 3.”

Despite last year’s disappointing results on the field, Mr Cook is optimistic about the club’s prospects in 2016.

“Our aim is to make the semis in A Grade and A Reserve and then anything can happen from there,” he said.

“We have a number of new players that we are excited to unveil come round one.

“Our major recruit is new A Grade coach Mat Keeley. He comes with a mountain of experience and has brought some great knowledge and energy to pre-season training.

“The boys are really looking forward to getting out on the paddock.”

While Mr Cook told The Beast that the club’s numbers are “really strong across all grades and ages”, he said that they are always looking to bolster their stocks.

“We are primarily looking for any boys and girls who want to play rugby league between the ages of 4 and 14,” he said.

“Junior rugby league is a very safe and enjoyable game for boys and girls. It has modified rules to ensure that the kids can have fun in a safe and friendly environment.

“We have great coaches and would love to hear from any youngsters keen to give it a try.

“We’d also welcome any A Grade and A Reserve players to our ranks.”

Players interested in joining the club can do so by emailing contact@coogeedolphins.com or calling 0420 735 326.