The Sea Eagles players, coaching staff, and officials have been presented with their very own Indigenous inspired polo shirt for their home match against the Brisbane Broncos as part of the third annual Brisbane Double Header, Friday May 11, 2018.
To mark the special moment, Cliff Lyons- one of the most talented Indigenous players to ever pull on a Manly, NSW and Australian jersey - had the honour of presenting the polo shirts at a team dinner in Brisbane. The polo shirts, which integrate the design of the special Indigenous jerseys the Sea Eagles will wear against the Broncos, were provided by Sea Eagles corporate partner Bennelong Energy Services (BES). Based in Sea Eagles territory at Warriewood on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, BES is a 100% Australian owned and operated company providing electrical, fire and mechanical services to the corporate arena.
Lyons, a Director and major shareholder of BES, has been heavily involved with co-directors Gaven Sheehan and Steve Freeman, in the nurturing of Indigenous and Pacific Islander rugby league players, be it through coaching or mentoring. "Informing BES, we wanted to go that extra mile and build a career path for young Indigenous rugby league players," Lyons said. "Like any budding young player who is striving to sign a contract in the NRL, it's only a small percentage that go on to make a career in rugby league. It was the reason why we wanted to make sure some of these boys had the opportunity to still become successful in business by completing an electrical trade or becoming a qualified fire technician. As a group, we wanted to make sure that young Indigenous men didn't lose hope of becoming successful in whichever path they tackled. Our goal at BES is to make sure these kids have the pathway in life to successfully support their wife and family in the future."
Gaven Sheehan said the company was also honoured to work with the NRL. "We are also very proud partners with the NRL's Schools to Work program which allows BES to screen young Indigenous men and women to have a career with Bennelong Energy Services."