Thrower and the Mid North Coast will head to the 2017 NSW Interbranch Championships as he aims to improve on his first-up performance last year.

Team coach Mel Cockshutt said Thrower would be one to keep an eye on in the 13 year division.

“Taj got on the podium last year which was a bit of a surprise as it was his first attempt at interbranch,” she said.

“Now there are some expectations this year.”

The talented youngster admits he is more at home in the Ironman event, but should also perform well with the board.

“He mainly focuses on the board and the Ironman; he’s a bit of a water athlete,” Cockshutt said.

“He has gone to state level before and he’s just a naturally talented and competitive kid.”

Cockshutt was confident a strong under-17 boys division could help Mid North Coast improve on their eighth-place finish from last year.

“We’ll have a full contingent of under-17 boys this year which is really good for us because they normally move away at that age,” she said.

“We fall down a bit with the open divisions because we don’t have any kids in there so we lose points.”

Individual races are on the Saturday where Cockshutt said there would be 22 competitors in the water and 11 on the sand.

“It’s pretty cut-throat competition,” she said.