Crispin: ‘Big goal is for us to be the leading, or the dominant, sport’

Queensland Rugby League's new sports science co-ordinator Cohen Crispin is keen to contribute to rugby league being the best game of all.

Crispin is no stranger to QRL, having worked with the Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons across three Women’s State of Origin campaigns during the past four years and most recently with the match officials High Performance Unit.

“I’m really excited about it… it's something I've wanted for a while,” Crispin said.

“Probably since my first year with Origin in 2021... for me it's been a bit of a long-term plan that I've been working towards, so I'm really excited to actually be official and be part of the team.

“Rugby league has been an interest forever… my footy coach, his brother was the strength and conditioning coach at the Broncos and I just remember playing footy as a kid and he would tell me that I could be the strength and conditioning trainer for the Broncos… and I was like 'that's the job'. 

“The want to work in rugby league has always been there…  I've worked in gyms my whole life… that was my job in high school... I'd stand on the gym floor and pick weights up and spot people. Just something I’ve always wanted to do.”

Crispin, who hails from Moranbah, joins QRL from Surfing Australia and having worked across Olympic programs in kayaking, BMX, skateboarding and surfing. But rugby league has never been a stranger to Crispin, who first started at the Mackay Magpies and worked with Maroons coach Tahnee Norris at the Burleigh Bears.

“Had a bit of a funny lead in… I was actually an electrician for 10 years so went (into this field officially) quite late… worked with local rugby league sides in Mackay… Mackay Magpies was my first S&C gig,” Crispin said.

“Went to Southern Cross University on the Gold Coast, started working with the Lismore Rams, found my way to Burleigh Bears with Tahnee Norris and I spent three years there.

“Lucky enough to come into the Origin program, City v Country,... but the last three years have been with Surfing Australia as an S&C coach, which is a bit different to rugby league. And now I’ve found my way back.”

The dad-of-one, who now lives at the Gold Coast, said his goal was to “make an impact in rugby league in Queensland”.

“The big goal is for us to be the leading, or the dominant, sport,” Crispin said.

“I want to contribute to that. I want to contribute to the pathways and performance overall goal of being world's best, world leading… and provide that value to the state league clubs because it's a hard job... the more that I can help them, the better.”

Crispin said working with the Maroons across the past four years had been an invaluable experience.

“Winning the first three-game series is definitely a highlight,” Crispin said.

“But just having been on the journey... starting with one game and how the professionalism has changed, how many more staff we've got, how the players are coming in, what they're actually doing... they're spending more time in the NRLW, where as back then there was more time in the BMD Premiership…. winning and then seeing the game grow, all exciting.”

Crispin, who has a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science and Australian Strength and Conditioning Association Elite Level 3 Accreditation, hit the ground running at QRL this week, working with Souths Logan Magpies and the High Performance Unit with their pre-season testing.

“We will go to every club, in constant contact with their footy ops managers and working with their S&C because they're going to be our best point of contact for performance data, getting injury surveillance data from the physios… the goal is to have a really good working relationship with those clubs,” Crispin said.

“I see myself as a generalist. If I was just working with strength, I'd be missing speed and conditioning…  I love the whole picture… when you work in a very integrated, collaborative environment, where everyone's bouncing off each other, that's when I'm at my best.

“One thing I love about being a sports scientist, and S&C, is the forward planning and thinking through how you can make something better and improve on it. Looking forward to what’s to come.”

QRL physical performance manager John Mitchell said “it’s a great pleasure to welcome Cohen to the pathways and performance team”.