ROSEWOOD Roosters sports trainer Amanda Emtage sums up her regular rugby league work with a sense of humour.
“I enjoy chaos,” she joked.
“There’s a lot to do.”
But while Amanda appreciates banter with the Roosters C-Grade and Reserve Grade players, she knows being a Level 2 sports trainer requires a serious multi-task focus.
Her role covers everything from monitoring and managing player injuries, to making medical referrals at training, and a full range of responsibilities on match day.
In her first year with the country club, Amanda is impressed with the way she is being treated.
“I love it,” she said.
“I actually spoke to Shane [Brandley] the president the other day and I said I’m actually quite proud to be a part of the team.
“In my four years of doing it, I’ve actually never come across a group of players that have been so respectful.
“Every time I go and track them, every time I’m on the field, every single game, they always come and say ‘thank you for what you do’.”
Having previously worked in childcare, Amanda discovered the satisfaction of being a sports trainer.
“I wanted a challenge,” she said.
Amanda received her Level 2 accreditation after starting the role four years ago as a Level 1 trainer helping her dad Paul, who is the current Roosters Reserve Grade coach.
Amanda’s brother Josh is coaching the Roosters C-Grade side and his wife Jasmine is team manager and helps out in the canteen.
“We all work together. We’re all one big happy family,” Josh said.
“I love it out here . . . it’s a beautiful place to be involved.”
Amanda was previously a sports trainer for other Ipswich and Brisbane clubs before moving to Rosewood with her family.
She said having strong family connections is what makes clubs like Rosewood so satisfying to work for.
Asked what she likes most about the role, Amanda again showed her sense of humour.
“When I’m right,” she said with a laugh.
She appreciates players acting on her advice to see a doctor or follow a management plan to be able to recover or stay on the field.
Ipswich born and bred Amanda is gaining another advantage being a sports trainer.
She is learning new skills serving the Roosters while studying to be a paramedic and working with 1300MEDICS, a company that provides medical services for festivals, concerts and other events.
She received a welcome surprise when her supervisor from the Queensland Ambulance Service turned up at Anzac Park to assist an injured Norths player needing extra care after he snapped his ankle.
Amanda said backing up for the Roosters at weekends provided more practical experience.
“I love it because I can practice a lot of things I’ve learnt at university and I can keep up to a certain standard that they are expecting,” she said.
“It’s really good that I can also help the boys and they know that they are getting the best care that they can.”
The former Redbank Plains State High School student said the toughest part of her role was “the anticipation of something to go wrong”.
“You have got to be ready to go . . . that can be quite prolonged,” she said.
One of her vital roles is helping players manage injuries and boost their confidence through strapping.
She said ankles, knees and shoulders are the main areas that need extra pre-game attention.
Roosters reward
THE victorious Rosewood Roosters belted out a team song with vigor and a sense of relief after securing their first win of the Rugby League Ipswich Reserve Grade season.
The Roosters had plenty to be happy about after beating West End 22-10 at Daniels Park last Sunday.
“It’s amazing. There’s a lot of spirit here,” Roosters head coach Paul Hassett said.
“It’s just trying to bring it out and get it going and they really needed that win today.”
The Roosters had only scored six points in their three earlier losses to Redbank Plains, Brothers and Swifts.
“We spoke about how we were going to get over that dark cloud [not scoring tries] but putting those extra ones on today does show them they can score tries,” he said.
Hassett praised his side’s “all round effort” after they turned up against West End with a renewed focus.
“They were coming up against a side that they thought was pretty equal and they were determined they were going to come out on top,” he said.
The winning team’s next match is against Goodna at Anzac Park on May 25.
