Crick credits son with Capalaba Young Guns hope

By Isaac Murphy

It’s hard to ignore a track specialist at Capalaba and Wayne Crick’s Mob Deep is certainly in that class.

The six-time winner looked up against it on the weekend with Albion Best 8 dog Stinger Noir breathing down his neck in the Young Guns Heats but Mob Deep prevailed.

With the whole family invested, Crick hopes he can do it again in Sunday’s Final.

“He’s taken to Capalaba from day one, it’s hard to put a finger on what it is but he just keeps winning up there - six from seven he’s standing at now,” Crick said.

“He’s got his racing pattern sorted out, like a lot of dogs he tends to drift to the middle and outside of the track and despite his tardy box manners once he gets motoring, he can really make up ground.”

Another dog who can make up ground is Selena Zammit’s Stinger Noir - possibly Queensland’s best sprinter behind Oh Mickey – and it was not the dog Crick wanted chasing him in the heats.

“He was up against it with Stinger Noir in his heat, a dog that has been trialling and racing quicker than him up the straight and we all know what he does at Albion every week,” Crick said.

“It just goes to show anything can happen on the day; he had every chance to run us down and we know how powerful a dog he is, I was really impressed with our boy’s determination to hang on.

“Going into a final with a win like that under his belt and his record at the track is just the confidence he needed to come out and be competitive again come Sunday.”

Crick said himself and son Flynn spotted the Young Guns on the calendar and thought the timing would line up perfectly coming off a minor injury – and they weren’t wrong.

“He went well first up at Albion but we always wanted to get him to Capalaba a week before the heats and we were able to do that, it paid off in the semis and now we’re one win away from a Young Guns crown,” Crick said.

“It’s a pretty even race on paper, Tony Brett’s dog (Hara’s Clyde) was the standout on the weekend and I know he won the Capalaba Cup too but he had everything in his favour drawing the eight, something we’d love to do this week.

“You have to worry about your own and our boy is flying, three from three since coming back from a wrist injury, we wanted to make this final with him and it’s quite rewarding getting him there.”

While Wayne Crick might have his name in the book as the trainer, it is a family vocation and son Flynn’s dedication to the dogs has made for one delighted dad.

“I’ve got to give my son Flynn a rap about it, he’s the one who’s been putting in all the hard work with the dog while I just chime in here or there with running my own business,” Crick said.

“I know it’s a great sport to be involved in and to see him from age 12 take such an interest in it and take on so much responsibility I couldn’t be prouder, he’s always first up to see them and last out at night.

“He’s 17 now and has given up his footy and boxing to concentrate on training, he’s counting down the days until he’s eighteen and can go out and get his license.”

You don’t see many eighteen-year-old trainers and Crick believes the more young people that get involved in the sport the better.

“It’s something I hope we see more of, young trainers coming through there just aren’t enough of them and if he can go out and make a name for himself hopefully a few others will try their hand,” Crick said.

“He’s already got a couple of dogs up from owners in Sydney to train, which is a great sign people are trusting him with their dogs already.”

The Crick’s are looking to tick off their Young Guns goal this weekend, but already have another target - the circle at Albion where the trainer thinks the dog will go as well as he does up the straight.

“His record as it stands at Capalaba is outstanding and it’s great the club have races like this on for dogs like him, but we see his future around the circle at Albion, that’s where he’ll be headed after this week,” he said.

“His one vice is his box manners; he can dwell at the start but he’s able to recover a bit better at Capalaba than on a two turn track.

“He’s a young dog – 27-months-old- I’ve got no doubt he’ll be a top grader at headquarters when the time is right.”

Crick spent the past few years trying to establish his own line, but as is often the case things just didn’t work out, which led him to Mob Deep.

“We tried our hand at breeding and just couldn’t find the right match, so we sent the litters to the GAP (Greyhound Adoption Program) and were in a position where we had to go out and buy a few,” Crick said.

“We got this guy off Brett Hazelgrove who we know produces good dogs and I always said to Flynn ‘you’ve got to keep class’ and that’s what we got with Mob Deep.

“We’ve got six in the kennels at the moment and eight pups ranging from six to 12 months out of Zambora Brockie which we are very excited about.”

Greyhound racing is a family institution for the Crick’s who have successfully mixed business with pleasure for years, but watch out once Flynn gets up and running.

“Our family have been in dogs for a number of years, starting out from the punting side of things; we would have two or three dogs but loved to have a bet when we thought they could win,” Crick said.

“I never wanted to be a big-time trainer personally; I get a lot of joy out of running my business as well, but I think once Flynn gets started he wants to go all the way with it.

“I’m fortunate enough to work for myself and there’s nothing like going to the track with Flynn and watching the dog win a big race like the Young Guns heat.”