Jets chase one more title under captain-coach Hansen

BILAMBIL captain-coach Hayden Hansen is chasing one more premiership before hanging up the boots at the end of the season.

Hansen said this year would likely be the last for him and several senior Jets players in the Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League competition.

The Jets sit on top of the ladder after a strong start, following a grand final win in 2022 and another appearance last season.

Hansen had planned to retire last year but stayed on after the departure of first grade coach Arwin Marcus.

“I got in touch with a few of the senior players in the offseason and asked if they would play one more season if I coached,” Hansen said.

“We want to leave the club in a better position, and we’ve started that by bringing up some of our under-18 players.

“We’ve had players in and out of positions to start the season, but we’ve shown in every game that we can handle a bit of adversity.”

The Jets will take on Murwillumbah this weekend, now coached by Marcus.

“We’re not thinking too much about that. Arwin aside, it’s a big enough game as it is and it’s always a brutal one,” Hansen said.

“Some of our new guys will find out quickly what that rivalry is all about.”

Hansen said he hasn’t made major changes to Marcus’s systems but has focused more on player health.

He’s rotated key players off the bench, including hooker Tom Rowles, second-rower Tyson Donnelly and himself.

It’s given others a chance to shine, including hooker Alex Fitzhugh, centre Lachlan Hallard and five-eighth Aaron Hill.

“It’s a chance to run a really good interchange this year and bring something different off the bench,” Hansen said.

“You carry niggling injuries all year and that can really catch up on you. I want to manage everyone a little bit better this season.

“Hopefully we can go into finals with some selection headaches and not have to worry about someone overcoming an injury to play.”

In other round four matches, defending premiers Ballina will host Cudgen at Kingsford Smith Park.