It took a basketball side coached by a man who has devoted his life to the sport, and is duly buffeted by waves of respect, to end North Tamworth's unbeaten run.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Standing on the stage at the Tamworth Regional Council Sports Awards at Wests Leagues Club on Wednesday night, Bears trio Kieran Fisher, Andrew Moodie and Jake McManus displayed zero surprise when the Thunderbolts were named team of the year.
In the crowd at the event was Thunderbolts coach John Ireland, doing what he normally does: allowing his players to take centre stage, as a trio of Bolts received the award.
Read also:
Earlier in the evening, Ireland, the 39-year-old principal of Quirindi Public School, was named coach of the year after piloting the Thunderbolts to a 20-win, 18-loss Waratah League division-one season and a grand final loss to Canberra Gunners Academy in 2019.
Ireland was named coach of the year for the competition, the Bolts' US import Quayshun Hawkins was named its most valuable player, while Hawkins and teammate Rhys Chillingworth made the competition's Allstar 5 side.
The judges of the sports awards deemed that good enough for the Thunderbolts to get the nod over the Bears, who went undefeated in 2019. They won a sixth-straight premiership and a third Clayton Cup - awarded to the NSW country rugby league side with the best record each year.
Post-ceremony, Ireland said that for a debut championship he would gladly trade all the awards. Still, the personal accolades are significant given his deep immersion in a sport that has enthralled him since he was "about six" and growing up in the small basketball-mad town of Gloucester.
He is the embodiment of the benefits that can be derived from basketball, and considers himself duty bound to make the sport just as rewarding for the players. It's about "giving back to a sport that gave me so much as a young guy".
"Individually, to me, it's not necessarily about accolades and awards; it's more about giving our young guys opportunities and pathways in the sport, that they get into at a young age, to continue playing," he said.
He said it was also about the "culture within the group - the mateship and camaraderie that we build over the years, rather than the trophies and banners that just gather dust".
Along with former Bolts Chris Skilton and Luke Adams, Ireland was instrumental in Tamworth re-entering the Waratah League in 2007, when it was known as the State League. He has coached the Bolts 10 of the past 12 years since then. When he wasn't coaching the side, he was mentoring the Thunderbolt women.
"Basketball, for me, is my passion and my release, that gives me sanity away from my job," he said.
