From Mossburn to the NRL; Southlander lands key role
“I’m obviously very grateful to get the opportunity at still a very young age myself. I’ve dreamed and aspired to work in the NRL or a professional sports team.
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A Mossburn lad has been headhunted by the Warriors to fill a key new role within the Auckland-based NRL club.
Liam Turner has been appointed as the Warriors’ newly created Recruitment and Partnerships Strategy Manager.
The 25-year-old Southlander’s key task will be to work with grassroots organisations throughout New Zealand around how the Warriors can recruit and develop the best rugby league talent in New Zealand.
“It’s a pretty awesome role and I’m very lucky to be given the opportunity…. It’s a pretty good opportunity to hit the ground running and hopefully make some impact with the Warriors as a high-performance team, through to connecting with the grassroots,” Turner told The Southland Tribune.
Turner grew up in Mossburn, attending Mossburn Primary School and Northern Southland College before heading to Otago Boys’ High School in Dunedin.
He landed an events manager’s role with Southern Zone Rugby League - which oversees rugby league in the South Island.
By the age of just 23, Turner was promoted to the Southern Zone General Manager, and a couple of years on, at just 25, the Warriors have now whisked him into a key role.
The Warriors started up seven academy hubs across New Zealand over the past 12 months or so. The South Island is included in that.
Turner had formed connections with the Warriors through the academy hubs, and he will now be providing support to those hubs in his new role with the Warriors.
“I’m obviously very grateful to get the opportunity at still a very young age myself. I’ve dreamed and aspired to work in the NRL or a professional sports team.
“Probably in the last six months I’ve been quite seriously considering my next step, and you just never know what is around the corner.”
Turner had visited NRL clubs, the Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm earlier this year in a personal development capacity and to build connections.
He was serious about trying to land a role in Australia at that point.
But once Turner had a discussion with the Warriors about his ambitions, an opportunity came up.
“The exciting thing for me is to be able to work under two of the best sports leaders in New Zealand in Cameron George (Warriors CEO) and Andrew McFadden (Warriors Development & Pathways Manager),” Turner said.
Turner was an athletics talent in his youth and said he had an interest in most sports.
He remembers watching NRL grand finals with his dad when he was a kid, but his genuine connection to the sport didn’t start until he landed the role with Southern Zone Rugby League just over four years ago.
“I think the cool thing is it shows that wherever you are from, it doesn’t matter,” Turner said.
“I probably was only fully engaged with rugby league, properly, from a professional point of view, four and a half years ago, and now to be working for the Warriors.
“I think the two biggest things that have got me in this position is hard work and building relationships.”
Turner will finish up with Southern Zone Rugby League in July before starting with the Warriors.