The Forster Tuncurry Dolphins’ 20 year old triple premiership winning winger, Jack Nicholson is set to attempt to combine a professional future in hotel management with a career in rugby union in Sydney.
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Nicholson has had discussions with West Harbour club coach, Todd Louden, with the ambitious coach striving to piece together a program for the speedster to train and play grade football while learning the hotel hospitality industry.
The economic reality for young people in country areas is that with limited employment opportunities, they must eventually turn to the city for work.
So it has been recently for three outstanding players of the Dolphins club in losing the near irreplaceable winger-backrower, Naibuka Naqito a month before last year’s play-offs in the Lower Mid North Coast premiership, powerful backrower, Troy Haines and now Nicholson.
Initially a beach sprinter, Nicholson won a hattrick of premierships with the Dolphins from 2014 to 2016, running in 20 tries in 2016 and 2017, displaying exceptional speed and footwork.
The club has never had a more prolific winger. With good reason he was known as “Jack Flash”. But, for him to fulfill his ambition of managing a hotel, he went to the city.
The annual exodus continues taking place, the usual life on the land lament.
Work means money, money brings security, security enables men to gain positions and have families.
Nicholson ventured to Sydney last year, returned to represent the Mid North Coast Colts in the NSW country championships at Port Macquarie, re-appeared for the Dolphins in their 14-15 grand final loss to the Wallamba Bulls and then joined West Harbour.
More sad news is that the Myall Coast Mud Crabs have closed their doors for the season, in all likelihood, permanently, leaving five clubs competing for this year’s Lower Mid North Coast Kennards premiership. It has been coming for weeks.
Ian Felton took the Mud Crabs to a premiership in their first season in 2012, but at an astonishing meeting last year, without prior notice or discussion, a member of the club committee suddenly called for his resignation.
Authoritative and purposeful, and an effective coach as seen by the team’s grand final triumph, Felton stunned all by immediately standing down. It was the beginning of the end for the club.
It was a disgraceful episode with serious consequences for the Mud Crabs and the code. The immediate damaging effect is that every third week, one club will now have a bye.
Once again, however, it was a matter of several of the club’s regular players leaving the Myall Lakes to obtain employment.
Mid North Coast executive officer, Bob Wilson said an extra round will be played by the five competing clubs with a new draw to be announced. Initially, the first round was to be played on April 7.
