Football Staff Profiles
Adrian Thomson – Football Operations Manager
Adrian brings extensive experience to the position of Football Operations Manager having been involved in the game of rugby league for three decades, not only has he won three QRL State Championships with the Northern Marlins but he has also coached Townsville Brothers to five premierships in the Townsville and Districts Rugby League competition.
“Happy” began working with the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys as the recruitment manager, he was promoted to a coaching role as one of three coaching assistants to Head Coach Paul Green for the 2014 season.
At the Cowboys, Thomson was tasked with working closely with NRL squad members who were playing in the Intrust Super Cup and this experience will serve him well as the Townsville & Districts Mendi Blackhawks begin recruitment for the inaugural squad. Further bolstering Thomson’s knowledge of player selections and talent in the Queensland region he has served as a Selector for the Queensland Rangers, Queensland Country & Queensland Resident teams; as well as Queensland State of Origin Under 20s and the Australian Junior Kangaroos.
Terry Campese – Head Coach
Terry Campese is Head Coach of the Mendi Blackhawks. Terry spent 12 years playing for the Canberra Raiders including 5 years as Captain. During these years he also represented NSW and Australia. After the Raiders Terry spent 2 years in England playing for Hull Kingston Rovers also as Captain.
Since retiring from professional Rugby League in 2017 he has coached the Queanbeyan Blues, Monaro Colts and Senior Men’s Country NSW teams.
Terry is passionate about helping young people achieve their dreams and is looking forward to a big season in 2024 for the Mendi Blackhawks.
Mark Henry – Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
Mark Henry, a former professional rugby league player, boasts a career with the North Queensland Cowboys from 2006 to 2008 and the Salford City Reds from 2009 to 2011. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sports and Exercise Science from James Cook University, a Master’s degree in Sports and Exercise Science from Edith Cowan University, and a degree in Human Nutrition from the University of Canberra.
Mark transitioned into the Strength and Conditioning Coach role for the Canberra Raiders from 2011 to 2013 and subsequently for the North Queensland Cowboys from 2013 to the present. Alongside his coaching career, Mark excels as a Masters weightlifter and demonstrates a keen focus on sports nutrition and use of supplements within sport performance.
His addition will be a valuable asset to the Mendi Blackhawks having been involved as a player and having the knowledge he has gained from study and as a player that will help the Blackhawks in 2025.
James Tamou – Community Engagement
As a former professional Rugby Leagues player James hopes to bring a wealth of experience, showcasing leadership and motivational abilities to the Mendi Blackhawks in 2024. With a career that spanned over 15 years in the NRL, James has achieved some highly notable milestones that he will continue to use to embody the values of discipline, teamwork and adaptability he learned over the years with the current players.
Off the field, James’ passion is helping in community based work with the youth, leveraging the skills he has obtained from the world of sports. A goal in this field for James is also to continue pushing boundaries and helping others to reach their full potentials on and off the field.
Amanda King – Wellbeing
Amanda King is the current Wellbeing and Education Manager at the Mendi Blackhawks. She has joined the club after spending 6 years at the Cronulla Sharks commencing in 2016, involved with the Sharks Pathways teams, NSW Cup Newtown Jets and Cronulla’s NRL team in the Wellbeing and Education space.
Amanda also had the opportunity to support both the NSW Women’s City Team and the Women’s NSW State of Origin Team as their Wellbeing Manager in 2018/2019. She then relocated to the Gold Coast at the end of the 2021 season and joined the Tweed Seagulls supporting the Women’s teams.
Amanda’s past experience in Rugby League makes her a great fit here at the Blackhawks, having come through the ranks as a mum doing canteen duty, Team Manager, a Club secretary and Vice president. Her son came through the Junior Pathways, moving into the National Youth Competition, NSW cup and NRL, spending a couple of years in Townsville with the Cowboys.
Amanda is passionate about player care, knowing first-hand the challenges faced by players navigating the semi-professional space and encourages them to access the support available to them on and off the field, with the 2 Plan As approach, reinforcing the importance of work and study options to carry them through post football and to add balance to their on field career.
She believes it’s important that our playing cohort be ambassadors for our club and for the game. We want them to enjoy playing the great game of Rugby League and we want them to flourish in the great game of life.
Jaelen Feeney – Pathways & Recruitment Manager
Jaelen Feeney is a former Townsville Mendi Blackhawks player who made 74 appearances in the black and green. Before joining the Blackhawks, Jaelen spent five years with the Newcastle Knights, where he was part of a NSW Cup Premiership-winning side. He made his NRL debut for the Knights in 2016 and played 26 games across the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
During his time with the Blackhawks, Jaelen was recognized for his outstanding performances, being named “Back of the Year” in both 2018 and 2020. In 2018, he also received the Councillor Cook Community Award, a testament to his deep commitment to community involvement.
“Working in the community is something that I have always been passionate about,” Jaelen says. “I love working with kids, and I continue to stay involved as a Residential Youth Worker under the Child Safety banner outside of football.”
Following his retirement from rugby league in 2024, Jaelen transitioned into a key leadership role with the Townsville Mendi Blackhawks as the Pathways and Recruitment Manager. In this role, he is responsible for coordinating and overseeing all junior development programs, including our Harvey Norman Under 17s and 19s, as well as the Cyril Connell Challenge (CCC) and Mal Meninga Cup (MMC) competitions.
Jaelen also manages the RISE program, and plays a crucial role in scouting and recruiting emerging talent from the Townsville & District Rugby League (TDRL) competitions to join the Blackhawks representative teams.
