Andrew Magee, Kawana (Sunshine Coast) to Saints
Coast hopeful to become dragon
12:00a.m. 16th October 2008
| By Peter Gardiner
Andrew Magee, 17, has signed with St George rugby league. Photo: 178905
Time will tell the Broncos how costly the intervention of new St George-Illawarra coach Wayne Bennett was in securing the services of young Sunshine Coast hopeful Andrew Magee.
Not long after Magee, one of Rob Broughs graduates of the Mountain Creek Highs rugby league school of excellence, turns 18 next Wednesday he will head to Wollongong to become a Dragon.
But there was every chance he would have been turning up for pre-season training with an eye to playing Toyota Cup next year at Brisbanes Red Hill oval, if not for the influence of the former Broncos coach.
Magee, who played A grade for Kawana in Coast club football this year as well as under 18 for Queensland, was a year into a St George scholarship when the Broncos came calling.
I was very close to signing with the Broncos, but then St George rang up and said they were exercising their option and they wanted me down there.
Wayne Bennett was involved in it (the negotiations) over a few days.
The Dragons had only to match the Broncos offer for the 88kg 188 cm lock to secure his services for under 20s.
Hopefully one day I will have more to do with him (Bennett), Magee said.
Magee said that the Cowboys had also shown an interest in signing him, while the Bulldogs contacted him but the club never followed through with a concrete offer.
His immediate goal is to settle in to his new playing environment and then play for the Dragons against a junior Fiji side who are preparing to take on their Great Britain counterparts.
Having played for Wide Bay and the Falcon rep sides, Magees biggest football moment to date came at Stockland Park at Kawana this year running out for the under 18 Maroons against New South Wales Country.
I didnt go too bad in that game I had a pretty strong defensive game.
Magee has been on the Coast all his life and played for Maroochydore before switching to Kawana.
I moved there because he (Brough) is such an awesome coach.
One person not complaining about Magee heading to the Dragons is his father John who reportedly is a lifelong St George supporter.
But really in the end I was happy for him to play wherever he went, his proud father said.
http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/oct/16/about--be-bronco-saved-benny/
Coast hopeful to become dragon
12:00a.m. 16th October 2008
| By Peter Gardiner
Time will tell the Broncos how costly the intervention of new St George-Illawarra coach Wayne Bennett was in securing the services of young Sunshine Coast hopeful Andrew Magee.
Not long after Magee, one of Rob Broughs graduates of the Mountain Creek Highs rugby league school of excellence, turns 18 next Wednesday he will head to Wollongong to become a Dragon.
But there was every chance he would have been turning up for pre-season training with an eye to playing Toyota Cup next year at Brisbanes Red Hill oval, if not for the influence of the former Broncos coach.
Magee, who played A grade for Kawana in Coast club football this year as well as under 18 for Queensland, was a year into a St George scholarship when the Broncos came calling.
I was very close to signing with the Broncos, but then St George rang up and said they were exercising their option and they wanted me down there.
Wayne Bennett was involved in it (the negotiations) over a few days.
The Dragons had only to match the Broncos offer for the 88kg 188 cm lock to secure his services for under 20s.
Hopefully one day I will have more to do with him (Bennett), Magee said.
Magee said that the Cowboys had also shown an interest in signing him, while the Bulldogs contacted him but the club never followed through with a concrete offer.
His immediate goal is to settle in to his new playing environment and then play for the Dragons against a junior Fiji side who are preparing to take on their Great Britain counterparts.
Having played for Wide Bay and the Falcon rep sides, Magees biggest football moment to date came at Stockland Park at Kawana this year running out for the under 18 Maroons against New South Wales Country.
I didnt go too bad in that game I had a pretty strong defensive game.
Magee has been on the Coast all his life and played for Maroochydore before switching to Kawana.
I moved there because he (Brough) is such an awesome coach.
One person not complaining about Magee heading to the Dragons is his father John who reportedly is a lifelong St George supporter.
But really in the end I was happy for him to play wherever he went, his proud father said.
http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/oct/16/about--be-bronco-saved-benny/
