In another year where uncertainty has been the only certainty, Jordan Lipp has embraced every opportunity he has been given, especially on the football field.
After joining the Townsville Blackhawks this season, Lipp has been playing in their winning Hastings Deering Colts team, and earlier this season was rewarded for his good form with and made his Intrust Super Cup debut.
A Toowoomba junior who played with Souths Tigers, Lipp signed with the North Queensland Cowboys as part of their Young Guns program earlier this year after impressing with Western Mustangs in their Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup team and later, their Hastings Deering Colts squad.
“The Young Guns, it’s a development system, it’s players from 17 years old to my age 20, who just train as a squad in the mornings and afternoons before and after work, which then allows people like myself to continue a trade or continue your studies and go back and play for Blackhawks or Northern Pride or whoever they allocate you with on the weekends,” Lipp said.
“Blackhawks (have been) really good... it’s obviously, they play in the same junior competitions as the Mustangs, but the environment is a lot different also, you sort of train where you play which is the biggest difference for me, you can train of the field and then you play there on the weekend, so you sort of know the little things.
“It’s a lot different club with the Intrust Super Cup side being there as well, it gives you a lot more exposure to the top-grade players when they do get dropped back to that Intrust Super Cup level.”
While the Western Mustangs are working towards fielding an open age team in the Intrust Super Cup in the future, for now, the club is focused on providing a strong foundation for young talent to show their wares at a statewide level.
For Lipp, who is in his third year of a carpentry apprenticeship, the opportunity to experience an NRL system came after working hard with the Mustangs, a team where every player involved had to put in an effort to make the team.
“I think the Mustangs cover a wide area of the state, so there’s boys from Goondi (Goondiwindi) and out as far as Roma and that – we had boys travelling in from Roma during pre-season, I can’t even imagine what it’s like to travel two days a week to train – but it gives you a lot more competition... there’s a lot of players fighting to play there in such a good comp... it’s a great opportunity and showcases a lot of talent that is out there,” Lipp said.
“I think as long as you are playing in that competition, it doesn’t really matter who you are playing for, if you are putting your best foot forward and ripping in, everyone is watching that competition.
“So to be making that team to start with is a step in the right direction, and playing good footy exposes you to people to see your talents and to give you that next opportunity, whether that be head down to Brisbane or in my case, come up to Townsville, but it starts from that area.
“You have to grow up there and fight for your position first and go from there.”
Others players who have found the Mustangs to be a springboard to further honours in the game are Cory Paix, who captained the Mustangs to an under 18 Mal Meninga Cup title before playing with Norths Devils and Souths Logan Magpies on his way to his Brisbane Broncos debut; and Jake Simpkin who joined Wynnum Manly Seagulls on his way to signing with Wests Tigers and making his NRL debut last year.
Dalby junior Beau Fermor, who is performing well with the Gold Coast Titans this year, got his first proper taste of higher level football playing Cyril Connell Cup and Mal Meninga Cup with Toowoomba Clydesdales.
One key has been the support of the staff after club, including current Western Mustangs Hastings Deering Colts coach Brendan Wilson.
“Brendan... he’s been good to us younger boys. I know myself and Jake Simpkin, we have been coached by him at club level and under 18s as well, and he has been a big influence not only on myself, I know a few other boys as well," Lipp said.
"He is a coach and he’s a good person as well if you want to have a chat and other stuff outside of footy."
While the statewide competitions are on pause for the moment as various parts of Queensland contend with lockdowns, Lipp remains grateful for what he’s been able to achieve so far this year and has a few goals in mind before the season is out.
“Coming off two shoulder reconstructions, (this year) I just wanted to get a full year with footy, especially with a few comps being cancelled last year and that, so it’s been good to play a few games,” Lipp said.
“I got to debut for the Blackhawks in the Intrust Super Cup earlier this year, so I didn’t really expect that to come as soon as it did, but it was good to get a game with them in such a high level.
“Hopefully when the Hastings Deering season gets going again, hopefully we go through in the finals and go deep in the competition.”
