After their most successful campaign ever at the National Sevens Championships in Adelaide, the Northern Territory Mosquitoes Men's Sevens team is hoping their new-found form will lure talented athletes across from other codes in time for Darwin’s premier rugby event – the Hottest 7s (21-22 Jan 2017), which attracts talent from all across Australia and overseas.
The Northern Territory Mosquitoes were boosted by the talents of two former Fijian Sevens stars – Setefano Cakau and Lepani Nabuliwaqa – who now reside in Darwin. The two were integral to the team’s most memorable victory of the National Championships: a 19-17 triumph over reigning champions NSW in the Cup Quarter Final on Day 2.
With a support team boasting the likes of former Australian Sevens men’s captain Tim Atkinson as head coach, former Australian Sevens representative Nathan Trist as team doctor and former Wallabies and Queensland Reds trainer Chris Miller, the team are now well-positioned to build on the success they achieved at the National Championships as they work towards the Hottest 7s.
Northern Territory Mosquitoes manager James de Dassel said he hoped the team’s momentum would attract new players to their team. “There is an opportunity open to other codes, mainly AFL and rugby league players, to put their hand up for selection,” he said.
"With Rugby 7s now an Olympic sport and on the back of the fantastic gold medal performance of our Aussie women's team, now is the perfect time to promote this form of the game.
The National selectors will be in Darwin next month. They were impressed with the NT men's side in Adelaide and will be watching closely to see how the team backs that performance up.”
Northern Territory Mosquitoes Head Coach Tim Atkinson agreed. "The squad that travelled to Adelaide for the Nationals showed that they all deserved their selection,” he said.
“We have been training hard since March with the Nationals and the Darwin Hottest 7s as our main focus."
Players seeking further details regarding training shuold contact Tim Atkinson or James de Dassel on 0427214229.
