Ben Te’o appointed Queensland Under 19 coach
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Former Queensland Maroons player Ben Te’o is preparing for his first foray into representative coaching following his appointment as Queensland Under 19 head coach.
Te’o, who played seven State of Origin matches for the Maroons between 2012 and 2014, has been given the responsibility of guiding Queensland’s emerging male talent following Matt Ballin’s progression into the senior Origin set up under Billy Slater.
Now in his second year as the Redcliffe Dolphins head coach in the Hostplus Cup, after kicking off his coaching career in the Colts grade, Te’o is well placed to form a strong connection with the playing group.
“Every year I get a bunch of young guys around that age of 18 or 19 who come and do pre-season with the Hostplus Cup squad, as well as the NRL squad, so I understand where they are at with their development,” Te’o said.
“I think this is another opportunity to gain some experience. It’s a different campaign with a four training sessions and one game.
“I’m lucky I’m here (at The Dolphins) with Wayne Bennett every morning and I’ve had a good chat to him about the process of preparing the week.”
The match against New South Wales will be played at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney on Thursday, June 20.
Match: NSW U19s v QLD U19s
Round 1 -
home Team
NSW U19s
away Team
QLD U19s
Venue: Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
Te’o, who will be supported by assistant coaches Darius Boyd and Jesse Maclean, is excited by the opportunity to work with Queensland’s best young talent.
“It’s a great achievement for the players, first of all to be in the squad, and then we’re going to have to pick a team for a one off game in Sydney,” Te’o said.
“I feel very privileged to be able to lead them down there and prepare for this game.”
QRL pathways and performance head coach Nathan Cross is backing Te’o to make an impact.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what Ben will bring to the group,” Cross said.
“He is a very strong character who knows exactly what he stands for, but is also very adaptable, has a great temperament and is calm under pressure.
“Importantly, he is extremely passionate about Queensland and understands the responsibility of preparing his players to represent our state.”
Cross said the appointment would help build more depth to the list of Queensland coaches, as Te’o could have the opportunity to following in Ballin’s footsteps.
“Matt did a wonderful job last year as he juggled the Queensland Under 19s head coach role in addition to his full-time position at the Broncos.
“He was extremely thorough in his approach to our program and his elevation to the State of Origin coaching staff is a fantastic reward for the work he puts in across the game.”
