MATT Lantry subscribes to the theory there are a plethora of Group 3 rugby league players on the Mid-North Coast who have the potential to make the National Rugby League.
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After leaving the Newcastle Knights setup 12 months ago, Lantry started up a rugby league academy and part of his visit to Port Macquarie on Tuesday was to spread the rugby league word.
Lantry coached the Knights NSW Cup side to premiership glory in 2015.
“Once my time was up with the Knights I thought about what career change I’d like to make and decided to open up a league academy,” he said.
“Now we’re working with kids on a one-on-one basis down in Newcastle and Maitland and are looking to expand into western Sydney.
“We’re also considering employing a coach on the North Coast to work with some kids privately down the track to provide those same opportunities the Newcastle and Maitland kids are getting down there.”
Lantry said the Group 3 competition was a talent pool the Knights and other NRL clubs continued to look at.
“Just because you’re up here in Port Macquarie or a little further afield it doesn’t mean you’re not going to get noticed and these school holiday camps are a great way for that to happen,” he said.
“Group 3 is a strong competition and some really good kids have fed into the Knights and other systems for a long period of time and no doubt that will continue to happen.
“As long as the nursery continues to get looked after, we can continue to develop talented kids.”
Players such as Hastings trio Mitch Smith (Raiders), David Hollis (Eels) and Sam McIntyre (Knights) have already started to pave a pathway to the big stage.
Just because you’re up here in Port Macquarie or a little further afield it doesn’t mean you’re not going to get noticed.
- Matt Lantry
Old Bar’s Boyd Cordner is already there and will lead the Blues into battle at Suncorp Stadium in tomorrow night’s Origin decider.
“It’s a great breeding ground the North Coast,” Lantry said.
“There have been a lot of kids particularly come out of the Group 3 area and you’ve got the Titans north of the border and they’re progressing further down the coast and the Knights are servicing Group 3.
“Penrith have been up here before as well so it’s great to see some NRL clubs come up and work with some guys and have a look at them.”
Lantry said Cordner’s rise through the ranks was an indication anything was possible.
“He showed that no matter where you come from you can achieve what you set out to do,” he said.
“Nothing is impossible regardless of where you come from and the pleasing thing there is he’s our state captain.”
The former Knights NSW Cup coach said he had kept an eye on the current plight of the Novocastrians.
“It’s not ideal for them because Newcastle is a tremendous footy town and their town wants to see a successful footy team,” he said.
Group 3 is a strong competition and some really good kids have fed into the Knights and other systems for a long period of time.
- Matt Lantry
“They’re going through a process at the moment and everyone hopes it’s the right one.
“They’ve cleared some space in their cap to bring in Guerra and Kenny-Dowall and Kalyn Ponga next year and those guys will make a significant difference to the environment there and help the young guys along which is the key thing.
“I’m sure we’ll see some improvement and for their fans sake a few more wins on the board come next year.”
