https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/sport/local-sport/shaun-nona-only-needs-a-blackhawks-title-before-calling-time-on-his-career/news-story/c6b4c7fd80ff9b6c1a19270a54d3c450 THERE is just one thing Shaun Nona needs to fulfil his rugby league ambitions — a premiership for Townsville. The former Blackhawks captain has been close to an NRL berth for years. After securing club contracts with the Melbourne Storm and St. George-Illawarra Dragons, he was set to be a reliable backup for the likes of Cooper Cronk and Ben Hunt respectively. With NRL State Championships to his credit playing at both Queensland and New South Wales clubs, a first-grade debut seemed inevitable. But while he is yet to realise that dream, Nona’s young family and adoration for Townsville has changed his priorities. The 29-year-old halfback’s eyes are firmly fixed on a maiden Intrust Super Cup title for the Blackhawks. And should that transpire, he said he would happily draw the curtain on his career. “I’d love to keep playing, I’m 30 next season so I’m not that old but I’m getting there,” Nona said.
“I think I’ve passed that section of my career (playing NRL), I’m pretty much just focused on the Blackhawks and trying to help the club win their first premiership. “That’s my goal, win a premiership and hang it up if that happens.” Despite already possessing a formidable halves pairing in Jaelen Feeney and Kyle Laybutt, Nona was instrumental in the Blackhawks push to last year’s preliminary final with 20 try assists and 124 personal points. Even after signing on with French club Limoux Grizzlies — along with Blackhawks teammate Zac Santo — at the end of last season, Nona always intended to return to Townsville during the 2020 competition. But the coronavirus pandemic has ended that possibility with all statewide tournaments cancelled for the year. It was a heartbreaking realisation compounded the disappointment of his European season being suspended — a reality he had to sit with through two weeks of quarantine in Innisfail. In spite of this Nona has kept his eyes on a 2021 return, and possibly even in the Townsville and District Rugby League should it be given the green light to launch this year. Such a crucial component of a playmaker’s game is communication, and language barriers in France became an obstacle for the Tully product to navigate. Nevertheless Nona was able to help steer Limoux Grizzlies several wins clear on top of the table prior to the season’s suspension. And he largely credits his combination with fullback Santo for helping him settle into the rhythm of French rugby league. “In France they love to throw the ball around and are focused on their attack, (so) it was very challenging when a lot of the players in our team didn’t really understand English,” Nona said. “We basically just learned a few words they understood, so they understood what play was next going to happen … and we figured out ways to communicate — a lot of sign language and such. “My style of play is more about possession, completions so I didn’t really change a lot, but attack wise I think having Zac there and playing against opposition that didn’t really know what we were bringing helped.”
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AuthorOne of my main responsibilities was to cover the Blackhawks and Gold Stars and build strong relationships at the club. Archives
May 2020
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