Catching Up with Up-and-Comer Hamish Stewart

Hamish Stewart is a talented up and comer in the Reds camp. Having come through the Queensland and Australian under-20s team, he is set to make his mark with the Queensland Reds.

He's a true (navy-blue) country boy, with his roots in the Darling Downs. He is studying at Bond University, so is a perfect fit for the NRC Queensland Country team!

As well as the NRC, we got to talk about his rugby journey, what it's like being coached by Brad Thorne, and how much he's looking forward to the Reds 2018 season.

Hi Hamish, thanks for taking the time to catch up.

Well done with your teams win over the weekend. How are you finding this years NRC season?

It's been a very good start for country I think, having the four wins under our belt. Over the last couple of years, ever since it started, I think we've only managed to win about four or five (before this season). I think the country boys are really starting to mould well, and it all comes from the influence of Brad Thorne and Paul Carozza. I think they're doing an excellent job with the culture, and it's really showing on the field.

Both Brisbane City, and your team Queensland country are doing well. What message would you give to Reds supporters that haven't followed the NRC closely?

I think this is a building block for the Reds, definitely for 2018. You can see with all the teams they've played, the New South Wales team basically have all of their Super players, and the Canberra team they basically have their Super players in the NRC, and we've been able to knock both of them off. So we're in good stead for 2018. 

Both teams have my support. When the NRC teams do well, it's good for the Reds.

Definitely.

You've had to opportunity to be coached by Brad Thorne this year. What do you imagine he will bring to the Reds that is unique in 2018, and what are you looking forward to next about next season?

I think Brad brings a lot of experience as you can see from his career. He brings a lot of leadership and camaraderie into the team, and most coaches lack camaraderie. He's definitely implemented on mate-ship and every aspect like that. He's a very dedicated coach, and respects the boys, and the boys respect him and that's a big thing as a coach. Hopefully, we can go above and beyond and get into the finals, that's definitely one objective for next year. We can only aim for that next year.

Can you tell us about your rugby story. What first drew you to the game?

What first drew me to the game would probably be the impact that my two brothers had on me. When I was a young boy, they started playing Rugby Union at school, and I sort of followed in their footsteps.  I've never looked back, ever since the day I first stepped on the footy field. I love every moment of it. Hopefully I can have a long career, it just depends on how I go.

What was your journey into the Reds squad?

My journey was through the under-20s Reds squad when we ended up winning the final. I was able to sit on the bench on a Saturday night against the Hurricanes, and I wasn't able to get on, but it was experience just in itself. And then was able to play Sunday for the under-20s, and ended up winning that, so that's probably a memorable weekend for me. But definitely through that under-20s programme with Thorny and Carozza, they really set a platform for the boys to go above and beyond this year - as you can see with all the boys in the under-20s Australian team, we had a pretty good contingent in that.

And finally... can you tell us something about yourself that not many people may know?

Most of the Reds boys would know, but my families real big into horses (thoroughbreds), and that's a real passion of mine. So hopefully, at the end of my rugby career, I can somehow push into horses, like my father did - and with my brother as well. That's one thing that most people probably don't know about me.

Thanks again for taking time to chat Hamish.

Thank you Tom.

Keep training hard, and all the best against Sydney this weekend!

Thank you Tom, I appreciate it.

Ready to Go! (An Interview with... Andrew Ready)

It was great today to catch up last week with Reds Hooker Andrew Ready. We caught up about the NRC season, his club season, and of course - the Reds. It was great to hear his optimism and excitement for the 2018 season (feelings that I share) and excitement about his team-mates potential. Off the field, Andrew is always a gentleman, and great for a laugh. On the field, he’s a force to be reckoned with and has plenty of good rugby in him. Full of potential I say!

Enjoy this weeks Reds Rugby Rules interview….

Hi Ready,

Good to finally catch up for our first proper interview. Thanks so much for making the time!

No worries Tom. I’m glad we got to do the interview as well!

What's been happening today?

Well Tom, we’ve actually had separate gym sessions, the backs go in first and then the forwards come and lift the heavier weights. But it’s been pretty warm weather lately. We’re in the old shed, so there’s no air-con or anything, so the boys are all sweating out. But we all lifted pretty well today - to get us ready for Sunday, the big [NRC] game. 

That's good. By the way, congratulations on being chosen as Brisbane City captain this year in the NRC! Have you enjoyed the season so far?

Thank you very much. I didn’t expect it at all, after the year I had personally. But it’s been a great experience learning the new role and I guess the responsibilities of being a captain. Being across all the information from players, to coaches, to management, being across all the platforms I suppose, and trying to keep everyone on the loop and on the same page - trying to get everyone to understand what we’ve got to do each week - whether that be at training, on the field, or away from the field in our spare time. It’s been tough, but I’ve really enjoyed it. It's been something different. I think the last time I was captain of something was back at Terrace in 2010 [St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace], when I was the vice-captain of the First XV. It’s been a while since I’ve had that responsibility, but in general I’ve enjoyed it. And there’s still plenty of games left. I’m looking forward to it.

Your local club is Easts - can you tell us about your club, and how this year has gone for you?

Yeah, Easts is my Senior Club. Can’t forget my juniors, where I came from, which was Norths. I live at Albion, so down the road from Norths. But I made that hard decision to go to Easts as a Colt, and I haven’t looked back since. They’ve really helped me get to where I am today. This year, we missed the finals, we came sixth I think. We were up in the top four for a lot of the season, but didn’t do too well towards the end. This year, I played a lot of club footy, as you’re probably aware, but I really enjoyed that time. I guess I was able to play consistent time in an environment that I loved. I love playing club footy. Everyone's there, everyone's got your back, and it’s an awesome environment to be a part of.

It’s still serious, but not as serious as Super Rugby, where you get 10-15,000 people screaming at you. You get to concentrate on yourself, more so that everything else around you, just like a stadium. It’s been fantastic, I really enjoyed it.

What do you love most about rugby?

Other than getting to tackle people (laughs)… I guess, just being with a group of guys that you call your mates, and meeting new guys throughout the week, it’s not like your typical “job” I think. I suppose making those friendships is what I enjoy most. And also, there’s an added benefit of travelling the world, that’s pretty cool. Just like Samoa when you came and visited us. That’s pretty cool!

How long have you been playing rugby, and what drew you to the game?

Well believe it or not, I played soccer up until grade eight. I was a little bit skinnier back then, I wasn’t as wide.

That’s probably what helped me transition into rugby, growing wider, rather than taller. I started in grade seven at the end of the year. My mate from primary school invited me - soccer was on Saturday, rugby was on Sundays - and he asked if I could come down and throw a ball around, he said they needed some numbers.

I guess I was really lucky to have a fantastic coach, that I still have a connection with to this day. He sort of drew me to rugby, and I found my passion, I suppose, and love for the game. Fortunately I went to St Joseph’s School, on Gregory Terrace, they’re a rugby school. So I ditched soccer, probably for the best, and started playing rugby. Even though I would have liked to get paid like soccer players (laughs).

What do you enjoy most about playing for the Reds?

When I was growing up, I always dreamed about playing for the Reds, and putting that Red jersey on. I honestly didn’t ever think that it would come true. And I didn’t take the normal path, getting spotted straight from school. I did the hard yards at club, then got asked to play [under] 20s, and then finally got the opportunity. It’s funny, I had my first year in 2014, didn’t play a game, I was called onto the bench for three times at the end of the season, didn’t get on. So I had to wait a whole ‘nother year, kept going to the bench, I think five or six times, before I ever got on. And then I got the opportunity and I never looked back. The best bit about that was running onto Suncorp Stadium. I can’t put into words, that feeling you get, when you run out the tunnel in front of your home crowd, especially a Queensland crowd. Every time, I get shivers down my spine running out - I don’t know how to put it into words. And having your family, your friends, and all the other fans that drive hours and hours just to see us play, that’s something that’s really special to me. That would be the best thing about playing for the Reds.

It's been a tough season for the Queensland Reds in some ways. Us Reds fans always have your back though. Always remember that. What are some take aways from this season your taking forward into the next - either personally, or as a team?

It’s good to hear you always have our back, it's fantastic. I think some of the players do forget that, this is our team, the fans love the Reds, they love us. I think, it has been a disappointing year. But we’ve got a lot of young players coming through proving their worth. Just take a look at Lukhan Tui, that big boy. Every time he runs at me at training, I want to run the opposite way. And we’ve got Izack Rodda, we’ve got Izzy Peresi, I reckon we’re still yet to see the potential of Samu Kerevi, he’s got a long way to go, and I can’t wait for him to just smash it week in, week out. And we’ve also got the older fellas here, like George, Squeak and Karmichael, who lead by example, on the field. We just need to give it time for these young guys to come through and just prove their worth.

And I think next years going to be a great year to witness that. And I’m just looking forward to being a part of it, and hopefully get some more game time next year and help prove my worth as well. So yeah, looking forward to it.

Thanks once again for your time today. It's always a pleasure and a privilege.

No worries Tommy. Thank you very much for taking the time to come see me. Thank you.

All the best for this weekends game against Sydney!

Thanks mate. Well we’ll need it after last weekend aye, we didn’t do to well against Perth. We’ve had some honest reviews on Tuesday, and I think we’ll be putting our best foot forward, come Sunday. And we’ve proved that we can bounce back. We lost against Queensland Country, and we came back and scraped through against the Vikings. So I’m looking forward to Sunday, it’s our first game in Sydney. I always love playing in Sydney because I hate them so much.

[Update: The game took place yesterday, and sure enough Brisbane City bounced back with a 41-29 win over the Sydney Rays. Congrats to Andrew and the boy!]