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.


Lee Paterson – Head Strength & Conditioning Coach

Lee Paterson is the Head of Strength and Conditioning for the Mendi Blackhawks. Former Scotland international Lee has over 300 professional games under his belt which includes spells in UK, France, and Australia. Since his playing days he has gained MSc degrees in Strength and Conditioning and, in Performance Nutrition which has seen him take charge of the Hull KR academy and Scholarship, Head of Performance for the Featherstone Rovers and more recently as Blackhawks Head of Strength and Conditioning.

His addition will be a valuable asset to the Mendi Blackhawks having been involved in the 2008 and 2013 World Cups as a player and having the knowledge he has gained from study and as a player that will help the Blackhawks in 2024.


Daniel Strickland – Strength & Conditioning Coach

Daniel was our inaugural strength and conditioning coach but now is involved on a part time basis due to his business commitments.  Daniel brings on-field and off-field knowledge with him to his role as Strength and Conditioning Coach. He played 67 first grade games for the NQ Cowboys between 2000-2006 and started FIT Solutions in 2004 while still playing professional rugby league. Daniel also spent a season as Trainer for the NQ Cowboys NYC squad in 2008. He is now Owner operator of FIT Solutions/CrossFit Townsville.


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.


Tim Nugent – Development

Tim joined the Mendi Blackhawks in 2019 as a full-time development officer.  His main focus will be providing support to all local clubs in and around the Townsville district. Tim is locally born and bred in Townsville and has been working in Rugby League development for the past 15 years.

Heading up our Development team, Tim is a regular visitor to schools and Rugby League clubs within our footprint and is responsible for delivering our “Sky’s the Limit” program.


Brendan Logan – Welfare

Brendan was born and raised as one of seven children in St George Queensland before the family moved to Toowoomba. On completion of school at St Mary’s CBC he attended Kelvin Grove Teachers College where he spent four years doing a three-year Diploma in Physical Education.

Brendan began teaching in 1988 at Collinsville High School and this is where his love of North Queensland began. A transfer in 1989 brought him to Townsville. Apart from a three-year stint in Perth, where he met his wife Sally, Townsville has been home. They have two daughters, Isabelle and Holly.

Brendan has taught at Heatley High School, Ignatius Park College and Townsville Flexible Learning Centre. Along the way he has played football for Collinsville, Mosman Cottesloe (Perth) and Brothers (Townsvillle) (League and Union).

Brendan has been the Wellbeing Manager at The Townsville Mendi Blackhawks since 2018. Wellbeing is not just physical. It is also psychological, family, relationships, cultural, spiritual, career, financial, environmental and community. To be their best on the field our young men need to have things in order off the field. Brendan’s role is to offer support in all aspects of wellbeing and if required, engage our young men with people and services who can help them be the best they can be.

We want our young men to 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.