Thursday 4 October 2018

Brisbane City (and Brothers) Flanker: Fraser McReight


Right on the heels of Brisbane City's win over Queensland Country, I was able to catch up with Fraser McCreight, an up and coming player who has made a splash City Slickers this year! He is a proud Brothers rugby club player and certainly someone Queensland and Australian rugby fans should keep an eye out for!

This weekend, they're playing away against the NSW Country Eagles, Saturday 3pm, while Queensland Country are playing at home, at Bond Uni at 3pm on Sunday!

I hope all of my readers tune in for some NRC action this week, as it's crunch time for the competition. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy reading my conversation with one of Queensland's rising stars!

Hi Fraser,

First of all, congrats to you and your team for the win over the weekend. I imagine you’re proud of your teams effort?

Thank you. Yeah, 100%. I was in Country actually last year… I got picked for them, but I had surgery in the second or third round, so unfortunately I missed the series. But you know, it was a different feeling, in City, coming over and getting the win. Last week, it was awesome getting the win. I’ve got a lot of good mates from Brothers over in Country, it was good to get one over them. You can’t beat it!

I’ve played ‘how many’ games of football with Michael Wood, or Harry Wilson, you see them in the game and you can rub their head in the dirt and get one over them. It’s great!

What’s your highlight from this years NRC season so far and also, how is it different from club rugby?

Highlight… Um, it’s a bit hard to point out one. I think coming off two tough losses was pretty hard, so I’m gonna say the first win we had, against the Sydney Rays. We played some really good footy. I came off the bench, but I got around 55 minutes and I think I played some of my best footy. And obviously, getting the win over Country was awesome.

The way it changes from club rugby… just the skill level. It’s faster and a lot more physical. You get a lot less smaller chances of say getting a turn-over at the breakdown, so you’ve got to be a bit more clinical in what you do.

Speaking of club rugby, I visited your club Brothers a few weeks back and had an amazing time. How long have you played for Brothers and what’s something great you like about the club?

It’s my second year out of school, so I’ve played 2 years. My because my brother went there and it’s a good family club. One of the best things I like about Brothers is that through out all of the grades, sixth grade down to first grade, Colts four down to Colts, we all wear the exact same jersey, socks and kit. That’s something special. I don’t think there’s any other club in Brisbane that does that - same sponsors aswell. We’re really tight, we can bind together and get great success. We had eight out of nine teams in the grand final.

It’s a great culture down there and it’s improving.

What’s your favourite position to play?

Number seven, open-side flanker. It’s fun. You get to roam around the field and have a bit of freedom and just play some good footy I suppose. It’s tiring though.

For all my readers that are non-rugby-experts... what’s the role of the flanker/number 7 position?

Um, so typically, number 7 is on the open side of a scrum, so they hit the first breakdown. In basic terms, they’re just a work-horse that hit breakdowns and do a lot of a work around the field. So, a lot of carries and just a lot of tackles. They’re the work-horse of the team.

What inspired you to play rugby... and what’s your rugby journey been since then?

I think Mum and Dad, I’ve gotta thank them. I was a bit of a loose cannon when I was younger. I was just crazy and had too much energy, so Mum and Dad put me in rugby union.  I just enjoyed the game too much, I loved it. I just kept playing, because you’ve got to love the game if you want to play it professionally. Obviously the end goal is the Wallabies and Super-Rugby, but I’ve got a way to go there… So I’ve just got to keep improving my game and get stronger.

That’s funny, I was going to ask what your rugby-related goals are from here!

Yeah. So obviously, win the NRC title with the Brisbane City team. Next year, win Brothers Premier grade and make it nine from nine teams in the finals… and make a Super Rugby team and go from there with the Wallabies. So that’s the end goal!

Thanks for your time... good luck against the Sydney Country this weekend!

Thanks mate, I appreciate it. Any time, I’ll take time to answer your questions. I love it - and I love a truely good Reds fan that loves his footy. Keep cheering. We’re gonna fill those stands and get another premiership soon. We need all the support we can get. Up the Reds aye!

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