Coles First Nations Pathways profile: Gabriel Satrick
After Melbourne Storm returned to AAMI Park for the Club’s acknowledgment of Indigenous Round, melbournestorm.com.au are profiling three junior Indigenous players taking part in the Coles First Nations Pathway in 2023.
For the third consecutive year the Coles’ program has provided aspiring Indigenous athletes with support, helping them realise their dreams of becoming a future NRL player.
Complimenting the program’s focus on education, employment and health and wellbeing outcomes, this year's up-and-comers have integrated into the new Storm Academy, undertaking training and development led by coach Matt Duffie, while also featuring in Storm’s Jersey Flegg U21s squad.
A dynamic hooker, Gabriel Satrick enjoyed a breakout 2022 which saw him help Ipswich SHS to join in the 2022 NRL Schoolboys Cup where the youngster also claimed the Peter Sterling Medal as the player of the finals series.
After being rewarded with selection in the Australian Schoolboys side, the Queenslander has been looking to take his game to the next level and after nearly eight months supported by the Coles program and Storm Academy, he’s certainly well underway.
“Gabe is a ball of energy and a very likeable person in the group,” said Duffie.
He brings a great work ethic for improvement in his game and I feel that has rubbed off on the other players in the group.
Moving down south from Cairns in tropical far-north Queensland, the lifestyle and weather of Melbourne are worlds apart; an adjustment his coach is thoroughly impressed by.
“He is a person who is where his feet are and though we have had tough times he never loses his enthusiasm for life,” Duffie said.
“He’s adapted outstandingly well to life in Melbourne and with the Storm considering he couldn’t be further from Cairns.”
The young hooker has been a consistent and impressive presence on field out of dummy half in 2023 to date, going above and beyond on the training track which has seen him reap the benefits during matches.
“He has been a standout, not only of our team, but one of the best in the competition - and he’s still only 19,” the coach complimented.
“His running game has really come to life the last four weeks which has seen him win our player of the week, three weeks in a row. This has come about through hard work and the extras he has been doing after training.”
While the Jersey Flegg appearances and employment education and opportunities have been invaluable to Gabe there’s, nothing quite like training with NRL players that gets the motivation going.
“The NRL boys have rallied around them both on and off the field,” Duffie said.
“The lessons they learn from the day-to-day interactions with our NRL players have been invaluable for them. You can see the growth in them as people and players from this.”
The Jersey Flegg squad take on the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks U21s on Gosch’s Paddock from 1.30pm, ahead of Round 15 NRL game at AAMI Park!
