Bathurst’s juniors got to learn from one of the NRL’s legends of game on Wednesday when Hazem El Masri dropped by to take players through drills – and goalkicking practice, of course.
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The renowned goalkicker brought plenty of experience with him to Carrington Park, including a premiership, over 2,400 career points and 159 tries from his celebrated NRL career.
It was El Masri’s first trip back to Bathurst since the 2001 City v Country fixture and he was happy to help out the city’s up-and-coming players.
Naturally, El Masri’s biggest demand from the kids in attendance at his coaching clinics is to show off his golden boot, which hit home 891 successful goals in the NRL between 1996 and 2009.
“This takes me back to when I was a kid. When any player I looked up to would come out and have a chat to us, you’d listened to what experience they went through to make it,” he said.
“I’ve travelled around Australia to a lot of country places and when you get off the plane the first thing the kids want is ‘Can you kick a goal from the sideline?’ and I’ll say ‘Okay, just give me a moment to get rid of the cobwebs’,” he laughed.
“I’m here to teach them what I can. If they can take that away and continue to work on that themselves throughout their life then that’s what gets them to the next level.
