RISE special guest to lift Ipswich at carnival

Ipswich RISE participants have had some extra special attention that will give them plenty of spring in their step going into the inaugural QRL rebel State Development Series carnival this weekend.

The series will involve teams from the RISE programs across the state coming together for carnivals so players can put into practice what they've learned from the program, which provides a holistic look at the qualities and standards forming the building blocks for success on an elite pathway.

This weekend, matches will take place at Logan Metro Sports Complex for teams in the southeast of the state, and in Bundaberg, while Townsville will host games bringing together the three program in the QRL North region.

A "bring a mate" concept was put forward in Ipswich to better engage local community clubs and coaches and under 13 boys, under 14 boys and under 16 girls strength and conditioning coach Dominic Morton came through with a big one.

The experienced high performance coach grew up in Aratula, the same hometown as Matt Hass, a former Ipswich Jets player who is now head of strength and conditioning at the Queensland Academy of Sport.

Morton said he thought Hass was an ideal person to give the players and coaches a different perspective.

"It was good to see they could relate to someone who had been there in their position years ago," Morton said.

"The biggest problem is, I think players don't really understand at that age why they do those exercises and what benefit they'll give them.

"But the good thing with the program - I think we do a good job at it and Matt's very good at it as well - is that we sort of simulate the same correlation between game plays and situations and movements in the gym.

"It's amazing because once we try to explain a certain exercise and you explain that it's the same body position as a tackle, for example, then all of a sudden they pick it up. It's quite uncanny."

Morton said he felt his group took plenty away from learning the fundamentals of strength and conditioning and body movement and its benefits, not only from a physical standpoint, but also as a building block for individuals to take care of their mental health as well.

QRL South East area manager for Ipswich, Mitch Kent, said the players "got a kick out of" Hass paying a visit as a real life example of the possibilities ahead for them.

Ipswich will join teams representing Brisbane Tigers, Norths Devils, Souths Logan, Wynnum Manly, Gold Coast, Toowoomba and Warwick and District in the three-day carnival from June 30 to July 2.